


If It's Me Reading the Signs

by SpencerArbre



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Domestic Violence, F/F, Faberry, Fluff, Light Smut, soul mates, this is not a love triangle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2018-08-19 06:56:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 32,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8194664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpencerArbre/pseuds/SpencerArbre
Summary: Quinn and Rachel live in a world where your soul mates initials are tattooed on your skin, but what will Quinn do when she finds out 'RB' stands for Rachel Berry. Will she choose her soul mate or let her overbearing father take her love away from her?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To anyone who has been following this story I have made the decision to take it down and rewrite it. I will be editing each chapter, some will also be deleted, added, or extended. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this story and everyone who has anxiously stuck by waiting for it to be done. The plot will be the same. There will be some changes made to make the story flow better.

Quinn walked down the hallway of McKinley high like the God she knew she was. She kept her chin up, chest out, and any sign of emotion hidden from the world. Quinn held her books to her chest hiding her assets from the boys who fawned over her. She liked to give them enough to look at, but also leave room for the imagination. The blonde would smile as she walked giving them hope that maybe she would talk to them. But she only spoke to Finn, the dopey jock she lugged around with her. He was the quarterback, and she was the head Cheerio. A perfect match. At least that’s what her parents thought.

The reason Quinn stayed with Finn was the constant pressure her parents put on her to maintain the image of a perfect life. It was important for the Fabray name to represent perfection.

Everyday when she came home her mother would walk into the living room and ask if she had imprinted yet. When the answer was no, her mother would look at her and say, “Well, perhaps tomorrow.”

Quinn could feel the disappointment and shame festering in the sentence day after day, so she couldn’t leave Finn. It she did she might never have a civil moment with her mother again.

Quinn always told her parents what they wanted to hear. They would ask how Finn was doing, she would say fine. Some days she would update them on the football team’s wins or losses, or a date Finn had asked her to go on, but she would reveal no more than that.

Her parents insisted that the two were star crossed lovers, they would be together and would be wed as soon as Quinn finished college. Her life was planned out for her. From the moment Quinn was born Judy and Russell Fabray knew who Lucy Quinn Fabray was and who they wanted her to be. But, Quinn could never be the girl her parents wanted.

The first problem was her sister, Frannie. The golden child. She possessed everything her parents wanted in a child. Poise, intelligence, fertility, attractiveness. Frannie had led the perfect life, Captain of the Cheerios, Celibacy club president, student body president, and to top it off the valedictorian.

Frannie and her mate, Duncan, had imprinted right away. They met Frannie’s junior year in high school and waited to imprint until the day they graduated. A few months later they were married and Duncan was mad a partner at his father’s business. Lima’s one and only Super Weenie Hut. To Quinn that was not an impressive title, but to the Fabray’s, anything that made money was a worthy title.

The second problem was that Quinn had been failing at every challenge her parents threw at her. To the eyes of McKinley, Quinn had her life together, but at home it was a much different story. Quinn was kept to a high standard. She must receive high marks in every class. Nothing below a ninety-eight percent. Quinn had failed twice. The first time had resulted in a cigar burn on her right forearm. She had to wear her winter Cheerios uniform for two weeks. The second failure had resulted in her father corning the blonde in his study and hitting her with the first thing he could grab, which was a large marble paperweight from his desk. She had escaped with only a few bruised ribs. Luckily, her father knew better than to hit her face.

She must be involved in at least three extracurricular activities, two of which she needed to be a leading role. Quinn had achieved that by becoming the captain of the Cheerio’s, and the president of the celibacy club just as her sister had. She also joined glee club. It was an easy decision. Finn had been recruited by Mr. Schuester. At first she was apprehensive. Standing around singing didn’t seem like something Quinn wanted to do. But the glee kids were all so kind and supportive when she joined she decided to stay.

The third problem was that Quinn already had her mark. Two small letters on her inner wrist that read ‘RB’. The blonde couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t have them. But her parents never acknowledged them or told her where they came from. They would only continue to push her to imprint with Finn. As much as the blonde wanted to do as she was told, she could not .

Instead, the blonde focused on staying involved and keeping her grades up. It wasn’t what she wanted to be doing, but she had to make sure she made her parents happy. For her own safety and a one-way ticket out of Lima, Ohio.

Quinn stopped at her locker to exchange her ethics binder for her English binder and made her way to class. She wrapped her arms around her binder and walked down the hall, the students parting like the sea as she did so. As she walked she felt something sticky on her wrist and when she pulled her arm away from the binder to look at her wrist. Her mark had turned bright red and the plastic coating had melted onto her skin.

The blonde clutched her binder under her left arm and used her other hand to rub the sticky plastic off her skin. She pulled away realizing that her skin was hot. The blonde looked around her to see if anyone else was experiencing something similar but, everyone walked around her as if nothing had happened at all.

Not wanting to make a scene, Quinn hurried towards the nearest bathroom to assess the situation further but as she made her way down the hall, she felt a body collide with her own. The collision sent her binder flying and landed on the floor with a loud slap. The entire hallway went quiet for a moment until the students realized that someone had dropped something.

“Oh gosh! I’m so sorry! Here, let me help you with that.” A timid voice came from the girl across from her. Quinn was about to thank the girl for her help but her words were lost when she saw the girl’s wrist reaching down for the binder. “LF” screamed back at Quinn in bright right.

Time seemed to stop as the realization came over her. Quinn was standing in front of her mate. The blonde was afraid to raise her eyes and see the face of the girl who would change her life. But she couldn’t resist. Quinn was met with chocolate brown eyes that smiled back at her. They were so warm and welcoming that the Cheerio got lost in them until she realized that the brunette was still bending down to pick up her binder for her. “Here,” the girl said as she handed Quinn’s binder back to the cheerleader, “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

As the blonde took the binder she was forced to see the mark once again. It was still burning red and as Quinn pulled her arm back, she could see that her own wrist was still red.

Quinn wanted to respond. She wanted to say thank you. She wanted to know who she was, where she came from, if they had met before. She had so many things on her mind, but the only thing she could think of was that her mate was a girl.

The girl’s face fell a moment later, “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

Quinn attempted to nod, signaling she was okay, but everything was happening so fast. Time had gone into warp speed. The only thing the blonde could think of to do next was run. The Cheerio ran in the other direction as fast as she could and never looked back.


	2. Chapter 2

Rachel stared after the blonde who had sprinted in the other direction, hey eyes trained on the girl until she disappeared around the corner. The diva did not understand what had just happened. She had tried to help a fellow student in need and in return the girl looked like she would vomit all over Rachel’s loafers.

Instead of dwelling on what might have been going on in the cheerleader’s head, Rachel shrugged her shoulders and continued down the hallway to her first class. She would not ruin her first day by obsessing over a girl she maybe never see again.

The first day at a new school was hard, but the brunette was no stranger to adapting to new environments. She had moved many times because of her fathers’ career. Hiram and Leroy Berry were the top surgeons in the entire country. They traveled on business to give lectures and improve other hospitals and make clinics to train aspiring medical students. She was very proud of her fathers’ work.

Even though Rachel had to travel regularly, she still liked to be involved in the community. Everywhere she went she did at least one thing to get involved. In New York she took part in the community theater. She played Mimi in rent, Fannie Brice in Funny Girl, Maria in West Side Story, and a few other roles as well. The brunette also volunteered at her fathers’ clinic. She would spend time with sick children, often singing to them or baking vegan desserts to raise their spirits.

Her fathers encouraged Rachel to spend more and more time at the clinics. When she turned eight, they moved to Las Angeles where they made their first mansion. The building comprised three parts. The biggest part being the clinic where the Berry’s taught and did most of their research. The second wing was a conference center and the third wing were living quarters for The Berry family and a few students who qualified for the elite program the Berry’s offered. Having all their work in one place helped Rachel’s fathers spend more time with her and continue to excel with their work.

With their work being closer to home, the Berry men pushed Rachel to become more involved. They endlessly expressed their want for Rachel to take over their work one day. But the brunette had other plans for herself. She wanted to be on Broadway one day and follow in Barbra Streisand’s footsteps. Making her own legacy and inspiring millions of youth to flock back to the theater. And even though her fathers wanted her to become a doctor they still supported her dream of Broadway.

Rachel looked down at her schedule and frowned. She wasn’t too excited about this semester. The only class that Rachel was looking forward to was Glee club. It was an extracurricular class that wouldn’t count toward her GPA but it counted as one credit hour. It was held every day after school perfect for Rachel. She never enjoyed going back to her empty house every day and this would give her a chance to make friends.

Rachel had walked up and down the same hallway twice before she found her homeroom class. She walked in and sat in the third row against the wall. She opened her backpack pulling out her daily planner and checked off her daily to-do list: Morning elliptical: check, vegan protein shake: check, school: check. The only things left on her list was to make a friend and glee club. She hoped to complete both by this afternoon.

Rachel looked up at the clock and saw that it was only 7:50 am. There were still ten minutes before homeroom started so she pulled out another notebook and doodled. As she drew in her notebook, she saw something on her wrist she had never noticed before. Bright red letters on the inside of her wrist, “What the…” When Rachel touched them they were hot. She pulled back, sucking on the tip of her finger where the letters had burnt her skin. The letters ‘LF’ were staring back at her, but she did not understand why.


	3. Chapter 3

Quinn kept running until she got back to the girl’s locker room, she dropped her books sending a loud slap through the room. She knew Brittany and Santana would hear it and make themselves decent. “Britt, San, where are you guys. I need to talk to you. Now.” Quinn yelled into the open space.

“God, Q who died, or better question who did you kill because I really don’t want to hide a body.” Santana joked as she came around the corner. The Latina pulled down her shirt as she walked toward Quinn. Brittany followed zipping up her cheerios uniform.

The two girls sat down on a bench in front of Quinn, “Hi Quinn,” Brittany waved, smiling up at the girl and the blonde couldn’t help but let a small smile creep onto her lips. No one could make her feel better faster than Brittany. The girl was a ball of sunshine. How the taller blonde got unlucky enough to be mated to Santana, Quinn would never know. But she was still happy they had each other.

The girls sat in silence for a few moments before Santana spoke again, “So, you wanted to talk? Are you going to speak or just stand there with your arms crossed? I didn’t get pulled away from my sweet lady kisses for nothing.”

Quinn shifted her her weight and looked away from the two girls sat before her. Saying it out loud would make it real. And this couldn’t be real. Quinn Fabray could not be gay. Not that there was anything wrong with that. Santana and Brittany were gay, and they were so happy. Everyone accepted them. Everyone except the Fabrays.

“I,” a lump had formed in her throat. The blond cleared her throat and tried again, “I-” the words were at the tip of her tongue but the more she willed herself to speak the more her voice resisted.

Quinn opened her mouth to tell her friends what had happened in the hallway, but all that came out was a pained sob. The blonde covered her face with her hands as the tears rolled down her face to hide her weakness from her friends.

Brittany and Santana sat on their bench staring at Quinn for a moment. They knew better than to approach the blonde without warning. They waited until Quinn brought her hands away from her face. Santana rose from the bench and slowly approached her friend.

“Quinn,” Santana tried, but the girl was still crying to hard. The cheerio turned to take a step away from Santana, but the Latina grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her back. “Quinn, look at me.”

The blonde turned and looked down at Santana. She looked away when she saw the fear on the Latina’s face. “It’s not that. He hasn’t hit me in weeks.” Quinn sniffled and wrapped her arms around herself. “It’s bad though. Really. If my father finds out, I don’t know what he’ll do.”

Brittany moved from her place on the bench and stood with the two girls, “Quinn, we will not let him lay a finger on you. Not again.”

“Thanks, Britt. But we both know he probably will.” Quinn sniffled.

“We’ll do our best to be one step ahead of him. If we at least try, it’s better than just letting him do it. It will be okay, Q. Just tell us what happened.” Santana reassured the blonde.

“I bumped into my mate in the hallway today.” Quinn announced.

Santana and Brittany stared at Quinn with blank expressions before looking at each other confused. “Isn’t that a good thing? Judy can get over Finnocent and you can catch up to Frannie.” Santana said.

“No. It was a girl. My mate is a girl. I saw the LF on her wrist. They were definitely my initials.” Quinn explained, “If my father finds out I’m gay and not destined to be mated with Finn I will be-I don’t want to think about that. I need to get out of the country. I need to get away from him and I need to get away from my mate as soon as possible.” Quinn paced back and forth in front of the two girls, “Maybe I'll hitch hike to Florida. If I’m homeless in a warm climate, maybe it won’t be so bad.”

“Okay, you will not be homeless, "Santana scoffed," We will figure this out. Maybe the best thing to do would be to just tell your family. We can plan for that. Have a back up in case he blows up and get you out as soon as possible.”

“I don’t know,” Quinn considered the plan but, she was afraid her father was too smart for that, “I’m just scared, Santana. I don’t want to do anything that will set him off. Not yet. Right now I want to avoid her.”

“Quinn, please don’t. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Brittany pleaded.

“I know, Brittany. But I need time. I need to have a plan. I need to be ahead of him.” Quinn tapped her finger on her chin as the thought about what might keep her father off her case.

“Quinn, let’s be smart about this. There must be a way for you to meet this girl, tell her what’s up, and I don’t know hide out for a while until we can outsmart Russell. She’s your mate, she will understand the situation.” Santana reasoned, “Don’t get in your head about this. You need to be smart about this. Running and hiding will only make this worse. We can help. Just let us.”

“Okay,” Quinn agreed, “But today I get to avoid her. No matter how much it hurts. I at least need today. And don’t expect me to get all sentimental about it. She may be my mate, but I don’t have to let this imprint go any further than I want to.”

“Fine, deal. Whatever you say, Q. I’m sure you’ll be able to resist her.” Santana said rolling her eyes. The Latina looked at the clock, “It’s almost time for homeroom. We need to put your face back together. The HBIC can’t go out there looking like a sad raccoon.”

“You’re an asshole.” Quinn scoffed.


	4. Chapter 4

Rachel looked down at the letters puzzled as to when when they had appeared. It hadn’t been there when she left the house this morning. Nor had it been on her skin when she arrived at school. Which meant that it must have happened on her way to class. There were so many people in the hallways it could have been anyone who had so much as brushed shoulders with her in the hallways.

The mark was still red which mean that whoever it was they were still close by. Rachel touched the mark again this time it was much cooler than before and her skin had darkened. The letters faded into a dark red and settled a few shades lighter than her own skin tone. Rachel stared down at the letters brushing her thumb over them a few times as she thought about who might have activated her mark.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice, “Hey! You must be new here.” A tall dopey looking boy stood over Rachel’s desk. He wore a letterman’s jacket and a football jersey with a pair a faded blue jeans. The boy was much taller than Rachel and as he stood over her she had to crane her neck to meet his eyes.

“Yes, I am! Rachel Berry.” The diva offered her hand for the boy to shake.

The boy clumsily shook her hand and smiled, “Finn Hudson. It’s nice to meet you.”

Finn walked to the back of the classroom and sat in the back row. “I’m a sophomore. You?”

“I am also a sophomore.” Rachel announced proudly.

“Cool! Well if no one has showed you around campus yet I can give you a tour. I know this place pretty well.” Finn offered flashing his dopey smile again.

“I would appreciate that. I have already gotten lost once today trying to find this classroom.” Rachel admitted.

“Sure, no problem. I can show you-" Before Finn could finish his sentence he was cut off by a loud yelp from the hallway. He furrowed his brow in confusion. “That sounded a lot like-"

“Finn!” A brunette cheerleader ran into the classroom just as the boy rose from his desk. “Quinn’s fine. She-stubbed her toe. Brittany is taking her to the nurse to make sure it’s not broken. She’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure, she sounded like she was in a lot of pain. Maybe I should check on her,” Finn insisted.

“No, Finn, she’s in good hands. Just relax. I’m sure the nurse will tell her to just ice it tonight.” The cheerleader reassured the boy.

The girl walked toward the back of the room and stopped in front of Rachel, “Hi. I’m Santana. Are you new here?”

“Yes! I’m Rachel Berry. I moved here from New York.” Rachel told the cheerleader.

“It’s so nice to meet you.” Santana reached out to shake Rachel’s hand, her grip was firm, and the diva noticed that the girl looked down at Rachel’s wrist before letting go, “I hope everyone has been welcoming.”

“Oh yes. Well, I have only spoken to the both of you so far,” Rachel turned to smile at Finn, “and both of you have been very kind.”

Santana sat in the desk in front of Finn and Rachel turned to face her. “That’s great. Well if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” Santana said with a bright smile.

Finn furrowed his brow in confusion again as he looked down at Santana, “Are you sick or something?” The boy asked.

“No, I can be nice when I want to be Finn. Mind your own business.” Santana hissed.

The boy put his hands up defensively. “Okay, sorry,” The boy waited a moment before speaking again, “Hey, do you know how long they’ll be? I’m kind of worried about her.”

“Aw, Finnocent is worried about his precious little Quinn.” Santana teased.

“Come on, can you just do your weird mate thing and see where Brittany is?” Finn pleaded.

“It’s called a mind link and if you paid attention in any grade beyond preschool, you would know that.” Santana paused for a moment, looking down, “they’re by the library. I guess blondie fell and hurt her wrist on the way there too. The nurse gave her some ice. They are coming back now.”

“Thanks.” Finn sighed in relief.

Rachel stared at the two even after their strange interaction was over. Finn pulled out his phone and appeared to be playing a game while Santana filed her nails.

The diva wanted to know who Quinn and Brittany were, but she didn’t want to make this situation any weirder than it already was. The brunette turned in her chair and continued to doodle in her notebook.

Brittany must have been Santana’s mate seeing as she could telepathically communicate with the girl. Only strongly bonded mates had that kind of connection.

Quinn, Rachel wasn’t so sure about, she must have been a potential mate for Finn? Maybe just a good friend.

A few minutes later more students filed in the classroom. Almost every seat was filled except a few seats in the back and the seat in front of Rachel. As the diva doodled, she noticed her mark change colors. In a matter of seconds the letters were burning bright red again. She furrowed her brow and looked around the room. No one else seemed to notice a change. Perhaps it was someone in the hallway passing by. But Rachel was in no hurry to find out who her mate was. They would meet when they were meant to. Just as her fathers had reassured her.

The homeroom teacher entered the room and sat at his desk, propping his feet up as he pulled out the attendance sheet and calling out names. Everyone was present until, “Quinn Fabray?” The teacher looked around the room in surprise, “Quinn Fabray?”

“Here! I apologize Mr. Barns, I wasn’t feeling well and went down the nurse.” It was the blonde cheerleader Rachel had run into that morning accompanied by a taller blonde in the same uniform. The cheerleader named Quinn placed a late slip on the teacher’s desk and walked to the back of the classroom sitting next to Finn.

“I was worried you might ruin your perfect attendance, Miss Fabray.” Mr. Barns teased.

“I would never.” Quinn brought her hand to her chest acting as though she was offended by the teachers words.

Rachel couldn’t resist turning in her desk to look back at Quinn. Something about her seemed odd. She clutched a bag of ice to her wrist and sighed as she settled into her seat. Rachel wondered what happened on that trip to the nurse’s office, but before she could get any clues, the blonde looked up at her and glared.

The diva whipped around in her desk, folding her hands in her lap. Clearly their little accident from that morning was not forgotten.


	5. Chapter 5

Quinn continued to glare at the back of the brunette’s head even after she had whipped around. But the longer she glared the more her body hurt. But she was so angry. This girl had come into her life and turned her whole life upside down. 

Things had been going relatively well. 

The blonde had been fine until she made her way back to homeroom. She felt her wrist before she saw it this time. It started as a slight itch, but the closer she got to her classroom the worse the pain was. As she approached the door her entire body felt like it was on fire and she couldn’t contain the yelp that escaped from her body. 

Brittany rushed Quinn to the bathroom while Santana ran into homeroom to make sure Finn didn’t run after the girl. 

The distance helped with the pain but Brittany talked Quinn down as she gently brushed over her hair to comfort the girl. As Quinn’s breathing calmed, and the pain subsided the taller blonde took the girl to the Nurse to get ice for her Mark and helped her back to class. 

The second time around was much easier. Quinn had to stay calm and accept that the brunette was her mate. All she had to do was accept it. Not resist. But it was easier said than done. 

As Quinn glared at the back of the girl’s head the rest of the class buzzed around her. First period didn’t start for another fifteen minutes. The longer Quinn glared the worse the pain got. But the blonde couldn’t take her eyes off the brunette until a deep voice broke her concentration. “You okay, babe? I was worried about you.” 

Quinn smiled and placed her free hand on Finn’s. “Yes, thank you. I’m just having a bad day.” The blond reassured the boy. 

“Cool.” Finn flashed his dopey smirk and went back to his game on his phone. 

Quinn rolled her eyes and went to continue glaring at Rachel but instead was met with Santana gaping at her, “A little distracted, Quinn?” 

The blonde scoffed and pulled her burning wrist toward her, “Whatever, Santana.” 

“I’m just saying, you’re being a little obvious, aren’t you? Besides, aren’t you supposed to be avoiding, not making your situation worse?” 

“Can we talk about this later, please?” Santana resisted the urge to roll her eyes at how dramatic her friend was being but agreed with a nod of her head. 

…

Quinn barely made it through the first half of the day. The mysterious brunette was on her mind in each class. The only thing Quinn knew about her was that she was tiny, a brunette, she had beautiful brown eyes, a sweet smile, and was everything the blonde did not need right now. 

Quinn fantasized what she was like. Did she like to read? Was she an art person or a science person? What kind of movies did she like? Did she get angry easily? Would she understand the situation? Where did she come from? Question after question filled the blonde’s head. As each one formed she felt herself growing less and less capable of being angry at her. She was so curious and excited and scared. 

Lunch period finally came around and Quinn was relieved that she could finally talk to her two best friends again. The three girls went to Sue’s office to pick up their daily lunch and headed to cafeteria to get their usual table. 

“So, what do you think of our mate, Quinn?” Santana asked with a smug look. 

“I think she’s a girl. That’s about it.” The blonde said flatly. 

“Quinn, you know you like her. I can tell.” Brittany beamed. 

The shorter blonde shook her head, “No, I don’t. It’s just the chemicals. It’s not me.” 

“That’s a dumb excuse, Q. We both know you already like her. And with the way you were glaring at the back of her head I think you know too.” Santana said, “We need to make a plan. I got her name when I went to distract Finn. Her name is Rachel Berry. She’s cute. You got lucky.” 

“Okay, you are not allowed to call my mate cute.” Quinn warned the Latina. 

“So this is how you ‘don’t like,’ someone?” Santana asked with an amused look. 

“Okay, whatever. I like her. Can we just get this plan formed already?” Quinn groaned. 

“Okay, so Britt and I have been talking and we have a few different options. We definitely think you need to talk to her today or tomorrow. Then if she’s cool with the whole situation, then we invite her over to Britt’s house and get to know her. For a while you two will have to meet only under supervision so you don’t do the nasty and imprint too soon.” Santana teased. 

“Don’t be gross.” Quinn scoffed, “I guess that’s an okay plan. What about Finn?” 

Santana and Brittany looked at each other with a pained look before turning back to Quinn, “We think you should cheat on him. Just for a while.” Santana admitted.

“Not for too long! It’s not even cheating! Since you don’t want to like Rachel yet.” Brittany added. 

“I don’t know if I can do that,” Quinn admitted, “God knows I don’t like him, but he’s a nice guy. He doesn’t deserve that.” 

“Like Britt said, it’s not really cheating. It’s just a safety net until we figure out what to do. Rachel might not even want to be a part of this. We have no idea how she will react.” Santana pointed out. 

“Okay. So what I just secretly meet with her until I can figure out what to do?” Quinn asked. 

“Yeah, pretty much. Eventually you can tell Finn you want to split up and hopefully he’ll take it well and not snitch. We’ve only had a couple of hours to think about this. And we don’t know Rachel very well. We don’t have many options. It’s a start.” Santana shrugged. 

Quinn pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “Okay. Let’s start with talking to her.” 

“She’s in our homeroom so we can invite her over tomorrow. Maybe today if we get a chance.” Santana suggested. 

“Sleepover!” Brittany exclaimed. 

“I don’t think that’s the best idea, Britt.” Santana chuckled. The blonde frowned and Santana pulled the girl closer to her, wrapping her arm around her waist, “We can have our own sleepover after they leave.” Santana whispered. 

“Sleepover!” Brittany yelled again. 

“You guys are disgusting.” Quinn said with a smile. 

“You know you love us.” Santana said.

“Yeah. I do.” Quinn admitted. 

“Great. Well, since you cut our session short this morning, we are going to go take a little ‘break’ in the locker room. If you know what I mean.” Santana announced. 

“See you in glee club!” Brittany called over her shoulder as Santana led her out of the cafeteria. 

…

Finn met Quinn at her last period class and walked her to Glee club. All the blonde could think about was how her friends wanted her to cheat on him. She felt guilty about the whole thing. But if Quinn explained her situation, he might go along with it too. Maybe. 

Finn and Quinn sat in the front row and the boy wrapped his arm around Quinn’s shoulders as he always did. As much as Quinn didn’t have feelings for the boy he made her feel safe. Whenever Santana or Brittany weren’t there, he was there to comfort her. He didn’t always know what to say or what to do, but he was a good listener. He tried. And that was a lot more than she could say for many other people in her life. 

Quinn felt heat radiating off her wrist again. She knew Rachel was close, but she hoped she could get away with avoiding the girl until tomorrow.

Santana and Brittany walked into the choir room with their pinkies linked and took their seat next to Quinn and Finn. Soon all the glee kids had gathered in the room and Mr. Schue walked out of his office. He clapped his hands and spoke, “Okay class. Before we start today I’d like to introduce our new student. Rachel Berry!” 

A few of the members of the glee club clapped and cheered but Quinn stared up at the girl. Part of her wanted to kick the girl out of the room herself, and the other part knew she needed to stay composed. 

Santana reached over and patted Quinn’s leg silently comforting the girl and Quinn looked at her with worry in her eyes. “You can do this,” The Latina mouthed at Quinn. The blonde wasn’t so sure, but she could try. 

“Alight everyone, settle down. As you all know glee club accepts anyone who auditions. Rachel auditioned for me personally earlier today and she has a great voice. She could really help us get to nationals this year.” Mr. Schue gushed, “She has asked to audition for the glee club as well. So without further adieu. Rachel Berry!”


	6. Chapter 6

Rachel stepped to the middle of the choir room and beamed at the students sitting on the risers. As her eyes panned over all the students, she noticed that the club was very diverse. There were kids of all colors and status. She was pleased with the diversity of this school. Except for one thing. Quinn Fabray sat front and center. 

The blonde wasn’t glaring this time, but she still looked angry. Rachel faltered for a moment as she realized that she would have to perform for her. Maybe this would be a good thing. Perhaps if her performance was impressive enough Rachel could gain the blonde’s acceptance. Or make her hate her even more. 

Regardless, this was an opportunity and Rachel needed to make the most of it.

Mr. Scheuster gave her an outstanding introduction which meant her performance had to be more than outstanding. It had to be perfect. But the diva was not worried. Every performance she gave was near perfection. 

Rachel had prepared for this moment for a little over a week. Originally she had wanted to show off all of her talents, but she didn’t want to intimidate the kids who had already established their place in the glee club. For this audition she would play it down. But now that Quinn was involved the diva would have to pull out her go to song. 

“Thank you,” Rachel looked back at Mr. Schue before turning back to the glee club, “I have prepared a timeless piece for this audition. I will be singing People originally performed in Funny Girl by Barbra Streisand.” The diva walked back to the piano to pull out her sheet music for the pianist then stood in the middle of the room once again. 

The diva took a deep breath before looking over her shoulder at the pianist and giving him a quick nod to signal she was ready. After a short intro Rachel sang. 

‘People. People who need people, are the luckiest people in the world…’ 

Rachel stood in the middle of the room and sang through the intro of the song, not moving from her spot in the middle of the room. As she continued to sing through the first chorus, the audience slipped away and Rachel was in a room singing her heart out for no one but herself. She felt every word of the song as she belted out every word with every ounce of emotion she had in her body. 

As Rachel came to the end of the song, she directed her finale to the one person she was trying to impress. 

‘With one person, one special person. A feeling deep in your soul says you were half now your whole..’

The diva looked the blonde straight in the eye as she sang the last few words and then turned to the rest of the glee club to belt out the last note. 

The glee club clapped and whistled and cheered. “Wow! Rachel Berry, everyone!” Mr. Schue announced as he walked back to the center of the room, “Go ahead and take a seat wherever you’d like.” 

The diva sat down and Mr. Schue clapped his hands again before going on about a lesson of some sort. He wrote a single word on the board. ‘Courage’ All the kids were supposed to pick a song that gave them courage. It was a silly assignment and Rachel zoned out through the first half of Mr. Schue’s speech. 

Rachel stared down at her skirt playing with the hem and straightening out the fabric on her lap. She stared down at her skirt and noticed that her mark was red again. Her mate was close. Very close. She looked around the room looking for anyone who she may have seen multiple times that day. But the only four she had seen were the cheerleaders and Finn. Which left only Quinn or Finn. Seeing as Finn's last name started with an H, Rachel had her answer. But since Quinn clearly didn't want anything to do with Rachel she was not about to approach her about it. 

When glee club ended the diva was stopped by a few kids who wanted to tell her how much they enjoyed her performance. She graciously accepted their compliments and made small talk until they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. 

Rachel went to her locker, gathered her books and went straight home. There was no reason for her to stay on campus. She had a successful day. Although she couldn’t say she made a real friend, she had made enough acquaintances to ensure that she would make some meaningful relationships. 

“Hey, Rachel!” Brittany skipped toward the with Santana and Quinn in tow. Brittany stopped in front of the girl’s locker, “I really liked your song. Your voice is really pretty.” 

“Thank you, Brittany. I’m excited to hear your voice this week as well.” Rachel closed her locker and pulled her backpack onto her shoulders. 

“Brittany has an amazing voice.” Santana pulled the blonde close to her and smiled down at her mate, “But we always sing together. It’s kind of our thing.” Santana continued. 

“That’s so sweet.” Rachel commented, “How long have you two been imprinted?” 

“Three years. But, hey, we aren’t here to talk about us. We were wondering if you wanted to hang out with us sometime. Maybe tomorrow? It’s the weekend, so we figured you wouldn’t want to spend your first weekend in Lima alone. We can order pizza. Watch movies.” Santana looked back at the blonde behind her who was still glaring at the brunette, “Right, Quinn?” 

“Yeah, sure.” The cheerleader responded. 

“I apologize for her. She’s a little-stressed at the moment.” Santana laughed dryly. 

“Are you sure, I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.” Rachel looked at Quinn before looking back at Santana. 

“We are sure. We’d love to have you.” Brittany said, “We love sleepovers!” the blonde jumped up and down in excitement before turning to Quinn, “Right, Quinn?” 

“Uh yeah, yep.” The blonde responded quietly. 

“Um okay then. I’ll be there.” Rachel said with a weak smile.


	7. Chapter 7

When Quinn’s alarm went off on Friday morning, the blonde nearly threw her phone across the room. She had been awake hours before it went off. Her mind had been swirling with all the possible outcomes meeting with Rachel might have. 

What if Rachel hated her? What if she wanted to take things too fast? What if she didn’t understand? What if she was more of a bitch than Quinn? What if she was perfect? 

Quinn was more terrified of the possibility that Rachel might be everything she had ever wanted. It would be much harder to resist. Much harder to hide. 

The blonde thought about Finn. What would she do with him? How would she carry all of this on her shoulders and not crumble from the weight of it all? She didn’t know. But she had to try. Although her efforts so far had not been great. 

Quinn could not bring herself to be nice to Rachel. Even though Santana had done most of the talking since Quinn’s demeanor wasn’t exactly welcoming. She was nearly boring holes into the brunette’s face with the glare she had been giving her. But she couldn’t help it. She was so angry. 

Why did she have to be here? Why now? If this had happened in college, the blonde would at least have some independence. She would have more time to make a plan. More time to hide it and get away. But here in Lima she was trapped. All she had was school and home. She had nowhere to escape. 

After Cheerios practice Quinn quickly showered and waited for her two best friends to finish their own shower. By now Quinn was used to hearing the quiet moans float from the back of the locker room. Hearing her friends have sex didn’t phase her anymore. She knew it would happen so accepting it was the only thing she could do. 

“Okay, Q. We need a game plan for today. You can’t keep looking at Rachel like you want to literally murder her.” Santana walked back to her locker in a white towel. Brittany followed closely behind nodding her head in agreement. 

“So, here’s what you are going to do. You are going to smile when you walk into homeroom and ask her if she’s excited for tonight. That’s all you have to do. Just smile and ask her one question.” Santana instructed. 

“Are you serious? I’m not doing that.” Quinn rolled her eyes, “I don’t need this right now. Just tell her that something came up and we need to cancel.” 

Santana gave Quinn an unamused look before turning to open her locker, “I am trying to help you. You could at least cooperate. Show a little appreciation.” 

“I don’t want to do this. I can’t do this. This isn’t a good time for me. Maybe we can I don’t know get in touch in a few years.” Quinn reasoned, “Like in college maybe?” 

“Are you kidding me, Q? You can’t just run away from all of your problems. Every time something goes wrong in your perfect little bubble you can’t just pretend like it’s not there. You,” Santana poked Quinn in the chest, “You need to get your shit together. You’re doing this whether you like it or not.” 

“Quinn,” Brittany quietly interjected, “We want you to be happy. I know you’re scared. And you get mean when you’re scared. But you don’t have to be scared of Rachel.”

The blonde sighed heavily and sunk down onto the bench in front of her, “I can’t help it. My only defense is to get angry or run away. And neither one will work right now.” 

“That’s what we’re here for. We’re going to get through this. Together.” Santana sat next to Quinn and wrapped and arm around the blonde’s shoulders, “We got your back.” 

Quinn smiled and reached out her other arm for Brittany to join in on the hug, “Thanks guys.” Quinn hummed, “What would I do without you?” 

“Probably die.” 

“Santana!” Brittany gasped. 

…

“Okay, remember. Smile, ask her if she’s excited, and then shut your mouth. If you can’t say anything nice. Don’t speak.” Santana reviewed. 

“What are you my mother?” Quinn scoffed. 

“Pretty much.” The Latina responded. 

“I guess that’s fair. Alright,” The girls stopped outside of their homeroom class, “How do I look?” The blonde asked.

“You look the way you always look. Hot, confident, like a bitch.” Santana said. 

“Good,” The blonde took a deep breath and gathered her strength, “Here I go.” 

Quinn walked into the room prepared to approach Rachel but when she walked in Finn was already there. The two were sitting close together talking about something Quinn couldn’t quite make out. “Finn!” The blonde feigned excitement. “There you are. I was looking for you this morning.” 

“Oh, sorry babe. Practice went late because Karofsky vandalized the other teams field. Again. We had to do suicides for a half hour.” Finn explained. 

“He is an idiot. Why don’t they just kick him off the team?” Quinn wondered aloud, “Anyway. Rachel! Are you excited for tonight?” The blonde smiled tightly, and she knew she didn’t look genuine. But she was trying. 

“I am quite excited.” Rachel responded, “I got permission from my dads so I will be able to leave with you right after glee.” The brunette confirmed. 

“Great! Looking forward to it.” Quinn took her seat at the back of the classroom and internally groaned at her performance. There was no way Rachel could have believed that, but she tried. 

…

Friday was going by much faster than Quinn would have liked. She wasn’t looking forward to hanging out with Rachel after glee. But as Santana pointed out, she had no choice. 

During the lunch period Santana told Quinn about the plan she and Brittany had formed. They would take Rachel to Brittany’s house, hang out for a bit, then drop the bomb. If she responded well, they could discuss things further. If Rachel reacted badly, they would just have to hope she could keep her mouth shut. 

“So that’s it? That’s your big plan?” Quinn scoffed. 

“Look, we think she will be fairly level headed about this. I mean she talks like she’s thirty. She can’t be so immature that she’s going to storm out of the place. I think it will be okay.” Santana reasoned. 

“Yeah. She seems really nice, Quinn.” Brittany reassured the blonde. 

“Well, looks can be deceiving, Britt.” Quinn said. 

“Quinn, you need to have faith in her. The chances of her not wanting to help you are so low. You two are mates. That means something.” Santana said. 

“I guess.” Quinn folded her arms over her chest, “I just have a bad feeling about this.” 

“Everything is going to be fine. Just relax.” Santana said, “If she goes postal we’ll just kill her. It will be fine.” 

Quinn’s jaw dropped at her friend’s words, “That’s not funny.” The blonde warned. 

“No, but watching your eyes bulge out of your head never gets old.” Santana chuckled. 

…

 

Glee went by quickly. Tina, Artie, and Kurt performed their songs. Quinn had no idea what they were because she wasn’t paying attention. All she could focus on was that Rachel was sitting behind her. 

Quinn’s mark was burning red as usual. But it didn’t hurt as badly as it had the first day. As mad as the blonde was about Rachel being her mate she had to accept that this was her fate. 

“Alright guys, great day today. We’ll see you Monday.” Mr. Schue announced before walking back to his office. 

The glee kids filtered out of the room, most of them had made plans together already. A few lingered to talk to Mr. Schue after class. Brittany, Santana, and Quinn walked out of the room and waited for Rachel to follow them out. 

The brunette quickly caught up with the trio announcing that she needed to grab her things from her locker and then they could leave. 

“So did everyone drive to school?” Santana asked as the girls walked out to the parking lot. 

“I drove today, I didn’t think to ask anyone wanted to carpool today.” Rachel admitted. 

“That’s okay, Rachel.” Brittany reassured the brunette. 

“Alright. We can all drive separately, or we can go in one of our cars. It doesn’t matter to me. Q and I live close enough to come and get our cars later. So let’s just take yours, Rachel.” Santana suggested. 

“Um, okay. Sure. I parked over here.” Rachel announced as she led the girls to her car.

As the girls walked toward Rachel’s car Quinn was sure that Rachel was confused as to where she was going. “Are we going to that car over there?” Quinn asked pointing to the navy blue Bentley parked at the back of the parking lot. 

“Yes, we are.” Rachel confirmed. 

Quinn looked back at Santana but all the girl did was give her a thumbs up as she looked back at the expensive car. “So your parents just let you drive a Bentley around by yourself?” Quinn asked as casually as she could.

“Well, yeah. They feel bad since they are busy all the time. They try to buy my affection. It works a little bit. But stuff doesn’t really make up for all the stuff they miss out on.” Rachel admitted. 

“What do your parents do for a living?” Quinn asked. She already knew the answer, but she didn’t want Rachel to know that. 

“They are doctors. We travel a lot for their work. I don’t like to talk about it too much.” Rachel’s said.

“Q, I think you should sit in front. Brittany and I will take the back.” Santana and Brittany climbed into the back of the car. 

Rachel opened the door and sat in the driver’s seat and Quinn reluctantly sat in the passenger seat. 

“Wow!” Brittany squealed from the backseat, “Your car is so pretty, Rachel!” 

“Thank you!” The diva exclaimed. 

Quinn looked around the car in awe. The interior of the car looked as nice as the exterior. The dashboard and steering wheel were covered in wood paneling. Everything else was a sleek black. 

Brittany gave Rachel directions on how to get to her house and five minutes later they were pulling into the blonde’s driveway. 

The girls got out of the car and made their way into the house. After a short tour of the house the girls settled in the blonde’s room. 

Santana let Rachel pick the first movie which was a cheesy rom-com that Brittany always liked to watch. After the first movie the girls ordered Pizza. When Rachel explained that she was a vegan Brittany wanted to order something for Rachel Rachel instead ate the vegan friendly snacks she had brought from home. And the girls continued on with their night. 

As the sun went down the group found out many more things about Rachel. They discovered her love for musicals. She told them about the musicals she had done in New York and how she wanted to be on Broadway one day. She told them about her fathers and how hard they worked to make the world a better place. 

The more Quinn learned about Rachel the more she wanted to hate her. The brunette was amazing. She was intelligent, and driven, and strong, and Quinn could only imagine how the two girls would complement each other. She could see Rachel pushing her to do better. She could see her supporting her through college and helping her achieve her dream of one day becoming a big time editor. Or if she was really lucky maybe even a pianist. 

But what Quinn really hated was the way Rachel’s eyes lit up when she talked about the things she loved. The way that Rachel was so in touch with herself that she knew exactly what she wanted and she was more than ready to take it. It was so endearing. So attractive. So everything that Quinn didn’t need right now. 

“So, Rachel. There is a reason that we asked you to come here today.” Santana said as she finished took another piece of pizza. 

“Oh? Uh, did I do something?” The diva’s tone was uncertain. 

“No. It’s nothing like that.” Santana reassured the girl. 

Santana looked at Quinn and signaled for the other girl to continue. “Uh-it’s me. I’m your mate.”   
Without hesitation Rachel answered, “I know.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics indicate communication through a mind link rather than verbally.

“What do you mean you know?” Quinn spat, “You knew all this time, and you didn’t say anything?” 

“Quinn, it’s only been two days. And by the time I figured it out it was very obvious that you don’t like me very much.” Rachel explained. 

“Well, you’re not wrong there.” Quinn mumbled. 

“Quinn!” Brittany squealed, “She didn’t mean that, Rachel. She’s really nice when you get to know her. She’s just scared.” The blonde defended. 

“It’s fine. I understand. This is not the first time I have seen anger in response to a homosexual imprint.” Rachel said, “It’s very common.” 

“How do you know that?” Santana asked furrowing her brow. 

“I told you. My dads are doctors. They are leading specialists in Phenylethylamine Imprinting and function in North America. They want me to follow in their footsteps and try to cram as much as they can about it into my brain.” Rachel explained. 

“Wait… so you’re like… loaded. I mean, I already assumed from your car that you had to have money. But you have to be like super mega rich," Santana beamed at Quinn, “You got so lucky, Q.” 

“You have two dads?” Brittany asked. 

“Shut up, Santana.” Quinn scoffed. 

Rachel chuckled at the three girls in front of her and leaned back against the wall, “You don’t have to be scared of being gay, Quinn. It’s perfectly normal. Your two best friends are gay and they are perfectly fine.” 

Rachel watched as Quinn bit her bottom lip and looked away from her. Something was wrong. “This isn’t just about being gay is it?” Rachel asked. 

“No.” Quinn looked down at her lap as she worried her hands in her lap.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Rachel asked ducking her head to meet Quinn’s eyes. 

“That’s exactly why we brought you here.” Santana answered for the blonde. 

“Alright. Let’s talk then.” Rachel said. 

“I think Q should be the one to tell you.” Santana whispered. 

The blonde continued to stare down at her hands not responding to anyone’s words. “Quinn?” Santana tried to get the blonde’s attention but she wouldn’t budge. 

“Quinn? It’s okay Rachel’s trying to help you.” Brittany added softly. 

“It’s okay,” Rachel said, “Whenever she’s ready. We have all night.” 

…

After a half hour of silence Santana was getting worried. Quinn had barely moved from her spot on the floor. Santana, Brittany, and Rachel had resorted to playing a game of monopoly to distract from Quinn’s silence. 

Santana gave Brittany a worried look. 

_I’m getting worried._

_Me too_

_Should we do something?_

_Rachel said not to._

_But this is Quinn. She never shuts down like this._

_She’s dealing with a lot San. Maybe she needs a little time to herself. Maybe she needs a hug!_

_Britt you know how she feels about that when she’s not expecting it. Maybe she needs a beer?_

_Remember what happened last time Quinn got drunk?_

_Britt, that was hilarious… she definitely needs a beer._

“Hey, Quinn, do you want a drink?” Santana asked the blonde. 

The blonde shook her head no and Santana sighed heavily, _I tried._

_Maybe we should give them some space?_

_You want to leave her alone with Rachel?_

_I trust Rachel. She’s nice, and she’s smart, and pretty, and she wants to help._

_Santana smiled at her mate, Okay, Britt Britt._

The Latina cleared her throat and stood from her spot on the bed, “Brittany and I are going to uh-go make drinks.” 

Brittany glared at Santana but the girl just shrugged, I panicked. 

“We’ll be back later. Does anyone want anything specific?” Santana offered to the group. 

“Vodka,” Quinn spoke for the first time in over an hour, “All of the vodka.” 

“Um. Okay. It might be awhile though, so you guys just sit tight and we’ll be back.” Santana added knowing she may not return with any alcohol at all. 

The two girls walked out of the room and closed the door behind them. Rachel sat on the bed with the unfinished game of monopoly and tried to look anywhere other than at Quinn. As the minutes ticked by, the brunette felt more and more awkward. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I understand. You just met me. I completely understand if you aren’t comfortable sharing your personal life with me right now.” Rachel assured the girl, “I can even leave. If you want me to.” The diva added. 

“No.” Quinn replied, “don’t go. I just need. I don’t know what I need. Maybe let’s start with something else.” Quinn said.

“I can tell you more about myself.” Rachel offered. 

“Okay.” 

Rachel moved from her place on the bed and sat on the floor closer to Quinn. “Okay. Where should I start? Maybe some interesting facts. I keep a sheet of gold stars in my backpack and my purse because whenever I sign an audition list I put a gold star next to my name.” 

The blonde chuckled and looked up at Rachel. “Are you serious?” 

“Of course! It’s a metaphor for the star I am destined to be.” Rachel said proudly. 

“That is definitely an interesting fact.” Quinn said with a small smile. 

“What else? Oh! I love food. The key to my heart is well cooked food. So you better learn vegan recipes now.” Rachel teased. 

“I make no promises.” The blonde replied, “My favorite food is bacon. So we might have a problem.” 

“I think I can overlook that for you. Or you can just eat vegan turkey?” Rachel tried. 

“Never,” Quinn replied quickly. 

“Well, I tried.” The diva shrugged. 

“It’s my dad.” Quinn mumbled. 

“What?” 

“My dad. That’s the problem. He’s-not a good man.” Quinn continued. 

“What do you mean?” Rachel asked. 

“He-you have to promise not to tell anyone. Okay? You have to. If he finds out I talk about anything that goes on in our house it will just get worse.” Quinn pleased, “Please.” 

“Okay.” 

“Promise.” 

“I promise.” 

“He hits me. A lot. For everything. If I so much as look at him wrong he raises his hand. He hits my mom too. But she’s too scared to stand up to him. I can’t blame her. If he ever finds out I am gay. I don’t know if he will be satisfied with just leaving a bruise. I’ll lose everything. He will probably beat me and then kick me out on the street. Or worse.” 

Rachel placed a hand on Quinn’s, “You don’t have to be scared Quinn. I can help you. My dads, they would have no problem taking you in. We have the money, and the space. We can hire lawyers. Get security guards. Whatever it takes to keep you safe. We can do it.” 

“No. That’s not enough. He’s too close. He knows too many people in Lima. He’ll find a way.” Quinn sounded so scared and Rachel just wanted to take all of that fear away and replace it with love and kindness and safety. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I don’t know. I’ve never told anyone before but I’ve tried to run. I’ve tried to just drive out of Ohio. I’ve even packed some bags. For the last three years I’ve tried to find a way out. Every summer I tell Brittany and Santana that I’m going on a road trip. They never drive down my street because when my dad found out he actually tried to get them kicked out of Lima. It didn’t work. But they don’t go near my house. Not unless I need them to. But the point is. I tell them I’m going on a road trip. I pack some bags. One every day until I have three full bags of clothes and food and water. And then I get in my car and I drive. I’ve tried three times and every time somehow he has found me. The first time he gave me a warning. The second time he broke four of my ribs. The third time I ended up in the hospital for a week with a concussion and a broken nose. I had to have surgery to fix my nose job. There’s no way that I can escape from him. Not until I go to college and just fade away from them. That’s the only way. I’ll change my name, get a new identity. I don’t care. I’ll find a way. When the time is right.” 

“Quinn I need to get you may from him. I don’t care how. I need to. I can’t leave you with a man who treats you like this.” Rachel moved closer to the blonde and took both of Quinn’s hands in her own, “Please let me help you.” 

“I can’t. I’m sorry.” Quinn pulled her hands away and folded them in her lap, “That’s why I can’t open up to you. I can’t imprint with you. I can’t even bond with you. I can’t risk putting you or me in that kind of danger.” 

“You can’t punish yourself because of this. You deserve to be happy.” Rachel said. 

“I’ve been doing it my entire life. I can keep doing it for a little longer.” 

“What if we just keep it a secret? That’s not that hard. I can help protect you from your family.” Rachel tried. 

“That’s what Santana wants me to do. But I’m so scared. What if he finds out?” 

“Think about it this way. If we are together. If we create a strong bond, we can reach a mind link. And I’ll be able to hear you and feel you all day no matter what. If anything ever goes wrong. I’ll know.” 

“Well, when you put it that way…” Rachel could see the wheels turning in the blonde’s mind, “I guess that’s a good point. How do we do it?” 

“Well… you’ve taken health right?” The diva asked. 

“I mean yeah, but they only go over heterosexual bonding.” 

“Okay, I’ll be blunt. If you want to strengthen a bond quickly, you need two parts. The emotional and physical bond.” Rachel said. 

“What does that mean?” 

“We need to have sex.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My hand slipped....whoops. Here's a nice long chapter. Emphasis on the nice.

“Right now…” Quinn looked around the room and focused back on the brunette, “in this room?” 

“No. Of course not. I mean. They are getting alcohol so if that helps move things along that would be… an interesting progression, but no not necessarily today.” Rachel said. 

“Did you just admit you want to have sex with me today?” 

“No. I-”

“You did.” 

“No, I’m just saying-” 

“You did.” 

“I meant-” 

“You want to have sex with me.” 

“I can’t tell if you’re freaking out or trying to shame me for being attracted to you, Quinn.” Rachel folded her arms over her chest and scooted away from the blonde, “If you want my honest answer, yes I want to have sex with you. I am a normal teenager. I have hormones. And you are-you. Those two factors don’t exactly make innocent thoughts.” 

“How many times have you thought about that.” Quinn asked. 

“A few.” 

“Why?” 

“Why are we playing twenty questions right now? As if you don’t want to have sex with me. With the way you are trying to reject me you must want to jump me by now.” Rachel smiled at Quinn as the blonde licked her lips. 

“How did you know that.. Are you already in my mind?” Quinn asked. 

“No. I told you my dads teach me as much as they can. I know the bonding process well. As I have already stated. The first few stages vary between individual mates. Infatuation is always the first stage. Then comes passion and lust. The next stage is usually an imprint. After that is satisfied comes the honeymoon stage. Which can vary in length. The next stage is the stage of understanding. Working to solidify your imprint. Then comes the stage of comfortable love. And the very last stage is complete trust. And if you’re really lucky you can form a mind link. I also know if you attempt to reject a bond, your body will produce more PEA and as a result you crave sexual contact. From your mate. To start the imprinting process. If you reject your mate completely your body will respond to the excess hormones and cause a searing pain in your mark which can spread through the body. ” Rachel explained. 

“It doesn’t just end at the imprint?” 

“No, it’s much more than that.” 

“I clearly did not pay enough attention in health. Okay, well tell me this. Say we got drunk today. And say we hooked up. What would happen?” Quinn asked. 

“I don’t think I need to tell you. I know you can already feel it.” Rachel said. 

“How do you know?” 

“I can see it.” 

“Where?” 

“Your eyes. They’re very-dark. You’ve moved a few inches closer. Your breathing is shallow. And you keep looking at my lips. Like you want to kiss me.” Rachel swallowed hard and bit her bottom lip. 

“What if I want to?” Quinn whispered. 

“You can if you want to.” 

Quinn looked down at Rachel’s lips again. She wanted to. She wanted to so badly. But she was scared. She was scared of the consequences. She was scared that it would feel good. She was scared that she wouldn’t be able to stop. But she didn’t care right now. 

The blonde leaned onto her hands and knees until her face was only centimeters away from Rachel’s. “It’s okay,” the diva breathed onto Quinn’s lips. 

Quinn moved forward pressing her lips to Rachel’s. At first she felt nothing. But Rachel kissed her back. Rachel kissed Quinn’s bottom lip, then the top. With each kiss the blonde felt herself getting lost in the brunette. She could see stars, or fireworks, or explosions and before she could stop herself the blonde tangled her fingers in Rachel’s hair deepening the kiss. 

Quinn nipped at Rachel’s bottom lip as she crashed their lips together over and over again. She could barely breathe but she didn’t care. All she cared about was the Rachel was kissing her and she hoped she would never stop. 

Quinn felt hands wrap around her waist and pull her closer. The blonde moved forward Straddling the brunette and wrapping her arms around her neck. A low moan escaped from the girl’s lips. Normally she would be embarrassed. She felt so out of control but it felt so right. She felt that if she stopped kissing Rachel her entire existence would disappear forever. As if being with Rachel right here right now was the only place she was ever meant to be. 

“Quinn.” Rachel moaned as she grabbed at the blonde’s uniform. 

“Mmmmm” The blonde could no longer form words. All she could do was kiss and nip and grope and- 

“Holy shit!” Santana yelled and Quinn pulled herself away from Rachel so fast she tripped over her own feet and fell hard on the floor a few feet away. 

“Quinn!” Rachel moved to the blonde’s side to help the girl up. 

“How long have you been standing there?!” Quinn yelled. 

“Long enough.” The Latina hummed, “That was so hot. Don’t stop on our behalf.” 

“You are so gross.” Quinn scoffed. Rachel helped Quinn to her feet and looked her over. 

“Quinn, you have rug burn.” The brunette giggled. 

“I’m fine. It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt. I was just startled. That’s all.” The blonde smoothed out her uniform and held back her shoulders trying to brush off her embarrassment. 

“You sure looked fine. I see you two have figured your shit out.” Santana said with a smug smile. 

“Yayyyyy! Quinn and Rachel sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Brittany sang. 

“Very funny you guys.” Quinn groaned. 

“We left you alone for two seconds and this happens. You silly kids and your hormones.” Santana clicked her tongue and shook her head. 

“Oh yeah, as if you two didn’t have sex in your car on the way to whoever the hell you got that brown bag from.” Quinn hissed. 

“Oh looks like blondie is a little embarrassed. It’s okay. If Rachel was my mate I’d be all over that too.” Santana chuckled. 

“Me too!” Brittany cheered. 

“Oh my God. Give me the booze, please. I can’t take you two today.” Quinn grabbed the brown bag from Santana and walked out of the room. “I’ll make the drinks today.” 

…

Quinn stood in the kitchen for a while. She didn’t want to go back upstairs. 

What had she done? How could she be around Rachel now? All she wanted to do was kiss her, and touch her, and do… other things. 

She messed up. The entire point of this was to make things better, but she had made things so much worse. But it happened. And she had to face it. She couldn’t imagine running away from Rachel now. 

“Quinn?” Rachel walked into the kitchen stood on the other side of the island putting distance between the two girls. 

“Yes?” 

“Are you okay?” 

“I think so.” 

“I’m sorry. About what happened upstairs. I let things get out of hand. I should have stopped.” Rachel said. 

“No. Don’t be. I wanted to. I don’t know what came over me. I-couldn’t stop.” Quinn pulled the bottle out of the bag to find that Santana had not gotten vodka, but Tequila. Of course. 

“It was just hormones.” Rachel reasoned. 

“No. It was more than that. I’ve never felt anything like that before. It felt like I was finally whole and if I stopped kissing your for even just one second, I would be empty again. Is that what it’s supposed to be like?” 

“Yes.” Rachel replied. 

“Did you feel it too?” 

“Yes.” Rachel stepped around the island and stood in front of Quinn again. The brunette caressed Quinn’s cheek, gently running her thumb over Quinn’s lips, “I’ve studied this for so long. I’ve read books, watched videos, studied people. But nothing could have prepared me for how your lips would feel against mine.” Rachel whispered. 

“I want to kiss you again.” Quinn breathed. 

“I know.” Rachel swallowed hard and took a step back from the blonde, “But if we will be consuming alcohol, we need to control ourselves.” 

“I don’t know if I can do that.” Quinn admitted. 

“I don’t either.” 

“Okay. What happens if we bond too fast?” Quinn asked, “Can you imprint the same day you begin a bond?” 

“Yes. It’s rare, but it can happen.” Rachel said. 

“Are there any symptoms?” 

“Well… sometimes nausea, dizziness, fatigue. Flu-like symptoms. If your body doesn’t have time to adjust to the extreme boost in hormones your immune system becomes weak. And sometimes migraines from forming a mind link too quickly.” 

“I’m willing to risk that.” Quinn said. 

“I am as well.” 

“Then let’s agree that whatever happens tonight, just let it happen. I don’t know how much time I will have after today. If this gets out. It’s not safe. You’re not safe. We need to make the most of our time.” Quinn said. 

“You make it sound like you’re dying.” 

“Maybe I am.” 

…

After another make-out session, a few discarded clothes, too many sickies, and a little too much groping Quinn and Rachel pulled themselves off each other and straightened themselves up. 

They giggled at each other’s tousled hair and helped each other fix it. When they decided they looked presentable, they took the tequila and four shot glasses upstairs. 

“Well look who decided to come back!” Santana grinned as the two girls walked back into the room, “And you even brought the booze with you, how kind of you.” 

“Where do you even get this from? you’re only sixteen.” Quinn asked as she looked down at the bottle. 

“That’s none of your business. All that matters is that I can get it. You’re welcome. Now come sit down so we can chat.” 

“Okay, first question, why tequila?” Quinn asked opening the bottle. 

“Because it makes your clothes fall off. Duh.” Santana smiled. 

“Are you trying to instigate something here?” Quinn sighed. 

“I didn’t have to, but yes. Yes, I am.” Santana poured herself a shot, “And I propose, since this whole thing was my idea, that I get to decide what game we play today. If Rachel is comfortable with it. Strip poker.” 

“I think I will pass. You and Britt can do whatever weird kinky crap you two do when you drink this stuff. But I think I want to just hang out with Rachel today.” Quinn said. 

“Fine. Suit yourself. Don’t get her pregnant.” Santana joked. 

“Shut up, Santana.” Quinn groaned as she closed the door behind her. 

…

Quinn and Rachel settled in on the couch in the living room. Rachel sat a foot away from Quinn because they deemed that distance as ‘safe’. 

Quinn let Rachel pick a movie to watch which was of course a musical. Within ten minutes the two were snuggled up on the couch. Quinn’s arm rested on the back of the couch and Rachel cuddled into the blonde’s side. 

“Why did you do that?” Rachel asked. 

“What?” 

“Not drink today. You must have wanted to.” Rachel said. 

“I did. But I didn’t want my first night with you to be a drunken blur. And It’s already 2 am. We both would have been hung over in the morning. And I didn’t want that either.” Quinn reasons, “Besides, this is better.” 

“It is getting late. Are you going to sleep in that?” 

Quinn looked down at her body and realized she still had her uniform on. “Oh. I guess not. I really don’t want to go back in Brittany’s room though. I don’t want to see whatever they are doing right now. I can handle their regular activities. But when they are drunk… I saw it once. Never again.” 

“My bag is in there too” Rachel’s eyes widened at the realization, “So… what does this mean?” 

“Um. Do you mind if I take my uniform off? I have a sports bra and spanks on underneath.” 

“I don’t mind.” Rachel mumbled. “Are you sure? I can keep it on.” 

“No. I’m sure. It’s okay.” 

Rachel tried not to look as Quinn stood from the couch and stood to the side making sure not to block Rachel’s view of the television. Rachel heard the zip and saw red and white fall to the ground out of her peripheral vision. There was another quick zip and the diva couldn’t help but look. 

Standing in front of her was Quinn Fabray in just a sports bra and spanks. A few dark hickies still marked Quinn’s chest and Rachel blushed at the sight of them. “You have an amazing body, Quinn.” 

“With the workouts Sue has us doing I better.” The blonde chuckled. 

The blonde took her place next to Rachel again and the brunette could feel her heartbeat in every pulse point she possessed. Quinn put her arm on the back of the couch giving Rachel the invitation to cuddle into her body again and Rachel just couldn’t take it anymore. 

Rachel straddled Quinn and sat on her lap wrapping her arms around the girl’s neck. “I know this might be a little forward. But I am very attracted to you. And I really want to have sex with right now.” 

Quinn looked up at Rachel with awe in her eyes but the diva didn’t make a move, “I need to know you want to do this. I don’t want to move forward if you aren’t comfortable with the possibility of imprinting.” 

“No. I want to. Yes. I want to.” Quinn breathed. 

Rachel didn’t take the time to respond. She leaned down and crashed her lips into Quinn’s dragging her tongue across the blonde’s bottom lip. 

Quinn brought her hands to Rachel’s lower back and pulled the diva closer to her body, Rachel’s core flush against the blonde’s abs. The diva knew her panties were damp from all the kissing and groping earlier in the day. But she didn’t care. All she wanted was to get them off. 

Rachel rocked her hips trying to find friction to relieve the throbbing between her legs but the more she rocked the more desperate she became. “Someone is a little eager.” Quinn tease letting her head fall back against the couch cushions. 

“Eager is putting it lightly.” Rachel groaned. 

“Good to know.” Quinn lowered her hands and gripped the hem of Rachel’s sweater pulling it up and over the diva’s head revealing a white lacey bra. Brown hair cascaded of caramel shoulders and Quinn smiled up at her mate. “You’re so beautiful.” Quinn breathed. 

“Thank you.” Rachel hummed. 

Quinn slipped a hand between Rachel’s legs and rubbed small gentle circles over the diva’s clit. Rachel let her head fall back as a quiet moan slipped from her mouth. “Can I take these off?” Quinn asked. 

“Please.” Quinn hooked her fingers in the hem of Rachel’s panties and slid them down her legs. The diva helped the blonde get them over her knees and Quinn threw them to the side. 

The blonde brought her hand back to the brunette’s center and continued to rub gentle circles on Rachel’s clit. Quinn brought her free hand up to the back of the diva’s neck and pulled the girl in for another kiss. As Rachel leaned forward Quinn pulled back her hand flattening her fingers and rubbing sloppy circles on Rachel’s clit. 

The brunette gasped and bucked her hips into Quinn’s hand before deepening the kiss. Rachel hungrily but and licked and sucked Quinn’s lips as the blonde rubbed her clit fast and faster. 

Rachel dug her nails into Quinn’s back and moaned louder than she meant to, but she couldn’t quiet herself. Quinn felt so good and she needed to be completely in the moment. Completely immersed in the girl below her. “Quinn…” Rachel moaned, “God that feels so good.” Rachel groaned as she grinded her hips into Quinn’s hand. 

Quinn pulled her hand from Rachel’s legs and pulled the girl close to her body before shifting her weight and letting the brunette fall on her back on the couch the girl’s legs spread in front of her. 

The blonde kneeled on the couch and ran her hand up Rachel’s leg. Quinn ran her hand over Rachel’s knee socks up the brunette’s knee and down toward the girl’s center. 

Quinn leaned down and placed light kisses to Rachel’s inner thigh, trailing them higher and higher. Rachel lifted her head to look down at Quinn and the blonde smiled deviously up at her. Rachel rocked her hips trying to find something, anything to relieve the intense throbbing between her legs but all she found was emptiness. “Quinn, please. I need you.” Rachel moaned. 

The blonde licked up the length of the brunette’s slit and the diva arched her back as her hands shot down to tangle her hands in Quinn’s hair. “God, yes.” 

The blonde flattened her tongue dragged her tongue over Rachel’s clit slow and hard, each time Rachel pressed her hips into Quinn’s mouth trying to feel more of the blonde’s mouth on her. 

The blonde pulled her head from between Rachel’s legs and took a breath. “I want to cum with you.” Quinn breathed. 

The blonde slid her own hand into her spanks before lowering herself back down between Rachel’s legs. Quinn rubbed her own clit while she flicked the diva’s with her tongue. Low moans came from Quinn’s mouth and only added to Rachel’s own pleasure. “Quinn. I’m so close.” Rachel gasped. 

“Don’t cum yet.” Quinn mumbled into Rachel’s center. 

Rachel willed her body to hold back as Quinn had asked, but she was so close and all she wanted to do was tumble over the edge into the bliss that was Quinn Fabray’s tongue. Her thighs shook as she tried to hold on but every second she held on was too much. 

“Can I please, cum.” Rachel begged the blonde. 

“Yes, I’m so close. Cum for me, Rachel.” Quinn moaned. 

Rachel let her body give in. And she felt her muscles tighten as her vision went black and she felt her orgasm take over her body. A few seconds later she felt Quinn’s own moans vibrating against her center and it only sent her into another wave of ecstasy. 

As Rachel came down from her high, she felt as though every muscle in her body had been worked to its capacity. Her mind and body were in overload and she knew it was beginning. The imprint was beginning. 

Rachel felt Quinn kissing a trail up her stomach and between her breasts before the blond settled next to the diva on the couch. But Rachel was exhausted and all she could manage was a weak smile. But as she felt sleep taking over she heard one last thing. A quiet voice in the back of her mind. 

_Thank you_


	10. Chapter 10

Quinn woke up before Rachel the next morning. After Rachel had fallen asleep the night before the blonde gathered a few blankets and laid them over Rachel so she wouldn’t get cold. And to keep Brittany and Santana from seeing anything they were not supposed to. 

The blonde lay on her side propping her head up with her hand and watched Rachel sleep. It felt a little creepy but she couldn’t take her eyes off the girl. She was so beautiful. 

Quinn expected the diva to at least snore, but she laid there almost silent. Her chest slowly rising and falling as she slept next to the blonde. 

A small smile spread across the blonde’s face as she looked down at her sleeping mate. She had gotten so lucky. Hours ago she felt like the world was falling apart around her because of Rachel. But she couldn’t have been more wrong. Rachel would be what saved her. 

The brunette wrinkled her nose before her eyes fluttered open and took in her surroundings. Quinn could tell she was not expecting to wake up in this room. “We’re still at Brittany’s house.” 

“Right. I’m still expecting to see my room in New York when I wake up.” Rachel chuckled rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. 

“What was your room like?” Quinn wrapped her arm around Rachel’s waist and pulled her closer to her body. 

“It was very pink. Homey. My window looked out into the heart of the city. It was beautiful.” Rachel whispered, “I miss it.” 

“I’m sure you’ll be able to go back someday.” The blonde assured the girl. 

“I hope so.” Rachel shifted to face Quinn. She moved her free hand to rest on Quinn’s side and drew small circles on the girl’s skin with her fingers, “So-about last night…” 

“What about it?” Quinn hummed. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yes. I don’t regret it.” Quinn said confidently, “I somehow feel much more at peace. Happy even.” 

“I feel the same way. But there are things we have to go over.” Rachel sat up and looked down at Quinn, “First, I know we have already imprinted-” 

“Wait how do you know that?” Quinn interrupted. 

“You can’t feel it?” 

“What is is supposed to feel like?” 

“Like every part of your soul is intertwined with mine. It’s supposed to feel like if you left me right now I’d always be with you, right here.” Rachel moved her hand over Quinn’s heart, “And here,” and then to the blonde’s temple. “Like we are one with each other.” 

The blonde looked up at the diva with a puzzled look, “Okay. I can tell because your mark isn’t skin tone anymore. It’s white. That’s what happens when it burns into your skin. Second, I heard your voice in my head yesterday.” 

“What?” 

“Yes, it’s rare, but a mind link can form early in an imprint. Especially if it’s fast. All the chemicals and hormones can do remarkable things when moved at a fast rate.” Rachel explained. 

“So you can hear what I’m thinking.” 

“If you want me to.” 

“What am I thinking?” Quinn closed her eyes and focused on her thought. 

“You want bacon.” Rachel mumbled. 

“What?! What about now?” 

“That’s inappropriate.” 

Quinn bit her lip and grinned, “But it’s true.” 

Rachel tousled the blonde’s hair and smiled down at her, “We should probably get up before you make it true.” 

“I don’t have a problem with it.” 

“Well I do. Now let’s get up. I’m hungry.” Rachel slid off the couch and walked toward the kitchen. 

“What are you going to eat?” Quinn asked. 

“Some fruit if I can find some. Or we can take a quick trip to the store. I can make vegan pancakes.” Rachel looked in the fridge and found a few apples and pears in the fridge, but most of Brittany’s food was for meat eaters. 

The brunette walked back to the living room and smiled at Quinn, “Looks like we’re going shopping.” 

….

The girl’s didn’t get very far once they got to Rachel’s car. Between the turn on of sitting in an insanely nice car and just sitting next to Rachel Quinn could barely control herself. 

The entire ride to the store Quinn had to touch her mate. First she settled with holding Rachel’s hand. Then her hand slid to the girl’s thigh. Then between her legs, but the brunette promptly swatted the blonde’s hand away. “Quinn I am driving.” Rachel chuckled. “At least wait until we get to the parking lot.” 

“I can’t.” Quinn groaned, “I want to touch you now.” 

“I’ve created a monster.” Rachel teased. 

Quinn smiled at Rachel but pulled her hand away, “Fine. I’ll wait.” 

…

After Quinn waited so patiently, the girls spent far too long in the car before finally entering the store. 

Rachel quickly gathered the supplies she needed to make breakfast and the two girls drove back to Brittany’s house. 

Rachel attempted to teach Quinn how to make vegan pancakes but the blonde was not interested. “How do you bake without dairy?” 

“It’s imitation dairy.” Rachel explained. 

“Doesn’t it taste different?” Quinn quirked an eyebrow. 

“Probably. I don’t remember.” Rachel shrugged and spooned a large circle of batter into the skillet. 

“I’ll try it. But I make no promises.” Quinn said. 

“As long as you try, I’ll be happy.” Rachel said plopping the first pancake onto a plate for Quinn.   
…

After breakfast Santana and Brittany finally dragged their feet downstairs and cuddled on the couch to watch a movie as they nursed their hangovers with bacon. 

Quinn and Rachel sat on the opposite end of the couch cuddled up in a blanket. 

“You too are extra cozy today.” Santana said, “Did you guys have fun last night.” 

“Yeah.” Quinn said. 

“What did you do?” Santana asked. 

“Just talked. Went to bed. Nothing toe exciting.” Quinn shrugged. 

“I don’t believe you. You’re acting different.” Santana looked between the two girls squinting her eyes, “You guys totally boned last night.” 

“What?! Santana! Stop!” Quinn felt her cheeks heat up, and the blonde pulled the blanket up to her chin. 

“Why are you such a prude, Quinn? There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your mate.” Santana said. 

“She’s sitting right here, Santana! Don’t talk about her like she’s a piece of meat.” 

“I’m just saying… if you guys did it. It’s totally fine. I’m happy for you guys.” 

“Thank you Santana, we did in fact have sex last night.” Rachel admitted. 

“Rachel!” Quinn glared at her mate, “We don’t have to tell them these things.” 

“Why not? They are your best friends, they should know if we do certain activities in their house.” Rachel said. 

“Oh my god.” Quinn covered her face and sunk into the couch. 

…

After Quinn had enough teasing from Santana the blonde decided that it was time to leave Brittany’s house. Rachel accompanied her. They went to Rachel’s house to hang out for a while longer before Quinn finally went home. 

“This is your house?” Quinn asked gaping up at the building. 

“Yes.” 

“It’s like five of my houses.” Quinn couldn’t take her eyes off the house. 

“It’s not just a house. It’s also a business center, clinic, and school. I just happen to live here.” Rachel said, “You’ll get used to it.” 

“I don’t think I will.” 

“Just come inside. We have a lot to discuss.” Rachel took Quinn’s led her inside the house. 

…

Rachel showed the blonde around practically having to drag her through each room before the girl’s finally made their way to the diva’s bedroom. 

“Your room is the size the entire ground floor of my house.” Quinn gaped. 

“It is not. It is large though. I am aware.” Rachel said. 

“How rich are you?” Quinn asked. 

“Very.” 

“So you never have to worry about money?” 

“No.” 

“Wow.” 

“Quinn, I don’t typically bring people here. It can be-overwhelming. I need to know that you can handle this kind of lifestyle.” Rachel sat on her bed and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, “I don’t want this to go to your head.” 

“No! No. It’s not like that. I’ve just never seen anything like this before. My family is one of the most wealthy in Lima. I wish Frannie could see this. She would just die.” 

“Who is Frannie?” Rachel asked. 

“My older sister. I hate her.” Quinn turned her attention back to Rachel and faltered, “Is everything okay?” 

“Do you think we are moving too fast?” Rachel asked. 

“I don’t know.” Quinn answered, “I don’t know how this is supposed to work. You would know better than me.” 

“It’s just that, we don’t even know each other. We just met two days ago. And now we have already imprinted. That’s not reversible. And I know that an imprint is a very strong bond, but I just don’t want to mess this up. I don’t know anything about you. But I do know myself. And I know that I’m hard to handle. I know that I ask for a lot, and I’m demanding, and I want everything too much. I know that maybe you just have to be with me. Maybe you’re just stuck with me.” Rachel bit her lip and looked down at her hands. 

Quinn sat next to Rachel and took one of the brunette’s hands, “Rachel, if you’re worried that I’m going to stop caring about you, that’s not going to happen. I know I was cold at first, but I’m not heartless.” 

“I know.” Rachel squeezed the blonde’s hand and looked up at Quinn, “I know you’re not. It’s just hard to believe that anyone would ever like me when I have all of these material things to distract them. Especially since, I’m me. And you don’t know me.” 

“You’re right. I don’t know you. And I don’t know who or what made you feel like this. But I do know that what I have seen. I’ve only known you for two days, but you have showed me that you are patient, and kind, and giving, and a beautiful person. Maybe we should slow down.” 

“I think that would be wise.” 

“Okay. We can get to know each other. Just talk. Hang out.” Quinn said. 

“I’d like that. But before we do that, we do have some important things to discuss.” Rachel turned to face Quinn fully, “First, we may have imprinted but we are by no means dating. I fully expect a proper courtship. That includes you asking me to be your girlfriend. Second, what are you going to do about Finn?” 

“Oh yeah…” Quinn forgot about her boyfriend, “Did I just cheat on him?” 

“I’m afraid so.” 

“That really sucks. He’s such a nice guy. I don’t want to hurt him. But I need to tell him. Should we tell him together? Probably not.” Quinn reasoned with herself, “Okay, Santana and Brittany think that I should keep pretending to date him. Like a beard kind of thing. How do you feel about that?” Quinn asked. 

“I think if that keeps you safe it’s a good idea.” Rachel answered. 

“Okay. Well maybe we should tell him together then. We could make a deal I guess. I’m sure this could benefit him somehow.” Quinn thought out loud. 

“Okay. We can deal with that Monday then. I just wanted to bring that to your attention. For now I’d really like to focus on getting to know you.” 

“What would you like to know?” 

“Everything.” 

“I don’t even know where to start.” Quinn chuckled to herself. 

“Just tell me about your life. What have you done? Where have you been? What do you want?” 

“Well when I was seven I realized that my parents loved my sister more than they love me. And from that day on I made it my mission to out do her. But I’ve never been able to. My entire life has been about gaining my father’s approval. But I’ve never succeeded. 

I was a chubby child, so I joined a few sports to lose some weight. I grew out my hair and started wearing dresses. When I was fifteen, he allowed me to get a nose job. I started going by Quinn instead of Lucy, which is my first name. 

I became popular, and it changed me. I went from being the girl who was bullied to being the girl everyone wanted to be. I made sure that I became captain of the Cheerios as soon as I was a sophomore. And finally my father began to accept me as his daughter. 

Which is why being gay is so horrible. I just gained his approval and now it’s about to be ripped away all over again.” 

“I’m so sorry, Quinn.” Rachel empathized with the blonde, “If I could change any of this I would.” 

“No. I think I’m starting to realize that I don’t need him. He’s just a grump old man who wants everyone to be what he wants them to be. And for me to try to fit in his box. It’s stupid. But I want to so badly.” 

“Is that all you want?” Rachel asked. 

“No. I’m not sure what I want in the future. I love reading. It has been my escape for so long. I’ve read so many books I can barely count them all. I’ve thought about being an editor. Being surrounded by books forever. 

But I also play piano. I love to play. My father bought me a grand piano for my thirteenth birthday. He loves to show me off to his friends. And I love to play for them. But he never lets me play what I really want to. It’s always mediocre songs like moonlight sonata or Für Elise.” 

“You would be amazing at either of those things! You could do both if you really wanted to.” Rachel said excitedly, “I’d love to hear you play.” 

“One day. Maybe.” 

“Are you shy?” Rachel asked. 

“No. I don’t like to show people that side of me. I’m afraid that they’ll make fun of me again.” Quinn mumbled. 

“People are attracted to talent, you know.” 

Quinn smiled at her mate and leaned towards her, “You know what I’m attracted to?” 

“What?” 

“You.” Quinn kissed Rachel on the lips before climbing in her lap.


	11. Chapter 11

“I can see this is going to be a problem.” Rachel breathed as she pulled the blankets over herself. 

“I don’t see the problem here.” Quinn chuckled as she cuddled up next to Rachel. 

“We can’t have one conversation without having sex, Quinn! How are we going to focus on anything.” 

“By having sex and then doing whatever we need to do, and then having sex again.” Quinn explained, “Obviously.” 

“You are ridiculous.” 

“Well by the sound of it you like my ridiculousness.” Quinn teased. 

“I-yes. I do.” Rachel turned to face the blonde brushing the girl’s hair out of her eyes, “You should probably go home soon. Your parents must be wondering where you are by now.” 

“Probably. I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here, with you.” 

“You can come back tomorrow. I don’t want you to get in trouble.” Rachel reasoned, “It’s just a few hours.” 

“I know, you’re right.” The blonde pulled herself away from her mate and gathered her clothes from the floor, “I guess I should go.” 

“Do you need a ride?” Rachel asked moving t get dressed. 

“No. I’ll walk. It’s not too far.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah. If my car isn’t in the driveway my dad will be suspicious.” 

…

Rachel passed the time in her studio recording a few songs and analyzing her pitch. As usual it was perfect. But it could always be better. 

It didn’t help that she was distracted. She had only been living in Lima, Ohio for two weeks and more had happened to her than the entire four years she lived in New York. 

She had met her mate and imprinted in two days. Which was unheard of. In the six years she had been studying with her fathers she had never seen this happen. And as much as she didn’t want to approach her fathers about it, she knew she had to. 

There was only an hour before dinner which would be the next time Rachel would get to see her dads. 

The brunette went back to her room and lay in her bed. The sheets were still a mess from her and Quinn earlier that day and the brunette smiled as she looked over at the empty space beside her. She wished Quinn could still be here. She wished that Quinn would let her help her. The thought of the blonde being inside her house with that awful man filled Rachel with a rage she didn’t know she had in her. 

But she needed to respect Quinn’s wishes. And if hiding was what the blonde wanted, that’s what Rachel would do. 

The diva picked up her phone to see if she had any messages when she realized she didn’t have Quinn’s number. Or Santana’s. Or Brittany’s. 

Rachel’s mind spun into overdrive when she realized what that meant. If there was ever an emergency she would be defenseless. She would have no one to call. She would have no help to save Quinn if anything ever happen. 

What if her father found out. 

What if he tried to hurt her again. 

What if he was doing it now. 

What if- 

_Rachel!_

“What?” The blonde looked around the room for a moment before realizing that it was Quinn. 

_Rachel I’m fine. I’m reading in my room._

_How did you know I was worried._

_Well you got pretty loud. I couldn’t concentrate._

_You can just hear my thoughts?!_

_No. I don’t think so. I think you wanted me to hear them. So I heard them._

_Oh. Thank Barbra._

_Why? Were you thinking about something you shouldn’t have been?_

_No. Of course not. But in the future…maybe I will be._

_Do I need to come back over there?_

_No, that won’t be necessary._

_Awe. You’re no fun._

_I want you to be safe, Quinn._

_I know. Sorry. I’m safe. Don’t worry._

_I’m glad to hear that. You can go back to reading. Sorry to disturb you._

_Never be sorry._

…

Rachel’s fathers left the clinic to cook dinner with Rachel and the three happily sat at the dinner table talking about their day. Her fathers told her about the new students they had accepted into their program and what projects they were working on. But the brunette was struggling to pay attention to the conversation. 

“Sweetheart, is everything alright?” Leroy asked taking a sip of his water, “You’re being awfully quiet this evening.” 

“I’m fine, Dad. I have a lot on my mind tonight.” Rachel poked at her food contemplating whether or not she wanted to tell her fathers about her predicament. 

“What is it, honey? You know you can tell us anything.” Hiram encouraged gently. 

“I met my mate at school a few days ago.” Rachel announced. 

“That’s wonderful, honey! Who is the lucky boy?” Leroy asked with a bright smile on his face. 

“It’s not a boy.” Rachel said, “It’s a girl.” 

“Oh! That’s perfectly fine to! What’s her name?” Leroy asked again. 

“Quinn Fabray.” 

The two men faltered for a moment looking at each other before Hiram smiled brightly. “That’s a lovely name. Does she know that you are her mate yet?” 

Rachel was quiet for a moment, this was taking too long. Her heart was beating so hard she could feel it in her throat. She needed to tell them, but she was so scared. What if Quinn didn’t want her to? But she had to make sure they were okay. That they didn’t do anything wrong. 

“We imprinted last night. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. It was an accident. It all happened so fast. And I know that you’e supposed to take it slow, but I couldn’t. And I’m sorry.” Rachel blurted out. She looked between her fathers, both their faces frozen in shock. 

The room was silent for a few moments while both the men took in what their daughter had just told them. 

“Are you sure, Rachel?” Hiram asked. 

“Yes. I’m sure. I did it. And it’s done.” Rachel said firmly. 

“Are you having any side effects? Dizziness, nausea, indigestion, mood swings?” Leroy asked. 

“We have a mind link already.” Rachel said. 

“That’s not possible. In one day?” Hiram asked. 

“Yes.” 

“How long were you with, Quinn, sweetheart?” Leroy asked. 

“I slept over at her friend’s house last night. I was with her after school and she came over today. She left around four pm.” The brunette answered. 

“Around twenty-four hours.” Leroy looked at his husband and then back at his daughter, “Rachel, I think it would be a good idea to do a few tests. On both of you. We have never seen an imprint happen this quickly. We want to make sure you are both stable. Is that alright?” 

“I don’t know. Quinn isn’t very comfortable with anyone knowing about this. I was afraid the speed of our imprint may have disrupted something. I just wanted to be safe.” Rachel said. 

“Honey, is there a reason you two decided to do this? Or was it really an accident?” Hiram asked his tone becoming more serious. 

“I don’t think I have the right to answer that question.” Rachel replied. 

Hiram nodded in understanding and the three went quiet once again. The two men looked at one another and Rachel knew they were having a conversation without her. “Are you angry with me?” the brunette whispered. 

“No, sweetheart. Of course not. We are just concerned. You are our little girl. We just want to make sure that you are safe.” Leroy reached for Rachel’s hand giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for telling us.” 

…

Rachel felt guilty for telling her fathers about what had happened. She knew Quinn was scared. And that the blonde may possibly be angry about her telling them. But it was the right thing to do. They could help and they wouldn’t tell Quinn’s father. They would help protect her. But Quinn probably wouldn’t see it that way. Not now. 

The diva finished her night routine and climbed into bed. She lay in her bed staring at the ceiling. She knew she would be seeing Quinn tomorrow and now she was more nervous than excited. Trust was important to her, and she hadn’t discussed this with her mate. She would have to hope that the blonde would understand.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Rachel sings is Lyalkele and you can listen to it here if you'd like to hear it. https(://)www.youtube(.com)/watch?v=mFlDzYDLvMg

“What do you mean you told your dads…” Quinn growled through gritted teeth. 

“I’m sorry,” Rachel sputtered, “I panicked. I’m sorry. I know I should have asked you first, but I was worried. I wasn’t sure if there would be any side effects, or if we might get sick, or develop an imbalance. It came out. I wanted to ask you first, but I panicked.” 

“What if they tell my parents?” Quinn thought out loud, “What if they tell someone else? What if this gets out?” 

“It won’t! They wouldn’t do that, Quinn. They want to protect you as much as I do.” Rachel said. 

“You don’t know that.” 

“I do!” 

“How?!” 

“Because, they are good people. They wouldn’t put you in danger. They would never do that. Okay? Please, just let them help us. We could be unstable, or slowly getting sick, or anything I don’t know, this has never been documented before.” Rachel argued. 

“So what are we, some experiment to them?” Quinn asked. 

“No! They want me to be healthy, for you to be healthy. They are just concerned. It’s not like that. Please, just let us help you.” Rachel begged. 

“Rachel, I don’t want to meet your parents. I have known you for three days. This is very overwhelming. And I have barely come to terms with us being mates in the first place.” Quinn calmed down but her mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts and scenarios she had never considered before. 

“Please,” Rachel begged, “I promise, they won’t tell anyone. They want to help.” 

Quinn sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose, “I can’t stay angry with you. I know you’re just trying to help.” The blonde shook her head and chuckled under her breath, “I guess I’ll do it. But I don’t want them asking questions.” 

“Thank you, Quinn.” 

“Only two days and you have already managed to create drama. What am I going to do with you?” Quinn teased. 

“Love and cherish my dramatic nature and always end every fight with a long hug.” 

“Are you asking or telling me?” 

“Telling you.” 

…

“It’s lovely to meet you, Quinn” Hiram held out his hand for the blonde to shake and the blonde hesitantly shook the older man’s hand. 

“Likewise.” Quinn said quietly. 

“So we have a few tests for you two today. But first, we want to have a little chat with you two. Please take a seat.” 

Rachel and Quinn sat in the two chairs against the wall in the examination room. Rachel’s fathers were sitting behind a desk next to the girls. 

I thought you said you didn’t tell them anything. 

I didn’t. 

Why is this happening, Rachel? 

I do not know. I said as little as possible. 

I swear to God if they are about to give us the sex talk. 

I think it’s a little late for that. 

“Now, we understand that this is probably a very confusing time for both of you. This is all very sudden and you may be experiencing things that don’t make any sense. Things that are embarrassing to talk about.” Hiram started, “But we want you both to know, no matter what is going on Leroy and I will always be here to talk. No matter what it is, you both can come to us for anything. No matter what it is. Okay? You too, Quinn. Now that you two are mates you are a part of our family and you are always welcome here.” 

Leroy nodded in agreement to his husbands words, “Now, before we begin we’d like to ask you a few questions. You don’t have to answer if you are not comfortable, Quinn. Is there a reason you two decided to imprint so quickly?” 

Quinn looked at Rachel but the brunette looked just as shocked as the blonde. “Dad, Daddy, I’m not sure if that is an appropriate question right now.” 

“I know, sweetheart, but we want to make sure that nothing serious is going on here.” Leroy responded. 

“No. It was an accident. That’s all.” Quinn said. 

The men waited for either one of the girls to expand on that answer but when neither of them spoke they moved on. “Okay,” Hiram continued, “Now, as parents we have a responsibility as parents. Obviously, we are not around as much as we would like to be. But when we are around, there will be a strict open door policy. Okay? No exceptions.” 

“Daddy!” Rachel felt her cheeks heat up at her father’s words. 

“I’m sorry, honey but it’s our responsibility as parents to monitor you as best we can. We know you will do what you want no matter what, but we’d like to control it when we can.” Hiram said. 

“Okay, can we do these tests now? Please?” Rachel choked out. 

“Yes, of course. We have a few tests for you. We will need a urine sample from both of you. As well as a few blood samples, and a swab of both your marks. We will send those to the lab and let you know if we find anything major. Sound good?” 

“Great.” Quinn answered with a tight smile. 

…

“Can we please agree that that was a mortifying experience?” Quinn ran her fingers through her hair and took a few deep breaths. 

“Agreed.” 

“Why were they talking like they knew something happened?” Quinn asked. 

“I don’t know, I didn’t tell them anything.” Rachel blurted, “I promise. I didn’t say anything.” 

“Okay. Okay. Before they ask anymore questions. I need to tell you a few things.” Quinn said calmly. 

“How is there more… how can there be anymore than there already is?” Rachel asked. 

“I don’t know if it’s relevant. But before I met you, I already had my mark.” Quinn said. 

“What?” Rachel gaped at the blonde. 

“I don’t know. I got sick when I was four. I don’t know the whole story. All I know is that I had a severe case of bronchitis. Usually you only get a slight fever but mine spiked up to 104 and after two days they flew me out to California to go to a hospital that could better treat me. And when I came back I had my mark. I don’t remember anything else.” 

“That doesn’t make sense.” Rachel pursed her lips in thought but Quinn continued. 

“My parents have acted like it wasn’t there for my entire life. And I have no idea why.” Quinn finished. 

“Usually when your mark appears both mates show their mark. Not just one. I never had a mark until a few days ago.” 

“I don’t know. Do you think that will effect any of the tests?” Quinn asked. 

“I don’t know. But we won’t know for a few days. I’m sure it’s nothing serious. If you’ve been healthy for all these years, it must have been a side effect from whatever treatment you received. I’ve never heard of any treatment activating a mark before.” The brunette sat on her bed but Quinn’s thoughts were racing. She couldn’t stop thinking about their situation. 

“Quinn. I’m sure everything is fine. Please, calm down.” Rachel said gently. 

“I can’t. I can’t stop thinking. All of these things are coming back to me. All of these memories. They are so strange. What if my father did something to me? What if when I was sick something bad happened, and it’s all going to come full circle now? What if I’m putting you in danger?” Quinn felt her chest tighten. The room felt like it was closing in on her and her breaths became more and more shallow with each breath. 

The blonde grasped at her shirt, pulling at the collar trying to open her airway but it kept feeling tighter and tighter until she was gasping for air. 

Rachel jumped from the bed and spoke but the blonde couldn’t hear her. She could see her mouth moving and the fear in her eyes but all Quinn could hear was her heart beat and the deafening thoughts assaulting her mind. 

The brunette cupped Quinn’s cheeks with her hands trying to get the blonde to focus on her but Quinn’s vision was blurry and she couldn’t focus on anything at all. 

Quinn. Calm down. I’m here it’s okay. 

The diva wrapped her arms around Quinn holding the girl tight to her body. She rubbed soothing circles on the blonde’s back. 

It’s okay. I’m here. You’re safe. No one’s going hurt you. 

Rachel held onto Quinn but the blonde continued to spin out of control as she thought about the possible outcomes of their future. 

It was only when Quinn felt a gentle vibration coming from Rachel that she calmed down. The girl was humming something that resembled a lullaby and the blonde came back to reality. 

Quinn fisted the fabric or Rachel’s shirt as her knees buckled breath her and the brunette gently lowered Quinn to the floor. She rocked Quinn back and forth as the blonde caught her breath petting the girl’s hair. “It going to be okay, Quinn.” Rachel reassured the girl. 

“I don’t know.” Quinn breathed. 

“I’m going to keep you safe. No matter what I have to do.” Rachel whispered. 

…  
When Quinn calmed down from her panic attack she and Rachel moved to the bed. The two girls exhausted and overwhelmed by the day’s events. Quinn had been quiet for a long time. And Rachel had left her alone, which she was thankful for. 

The blonde was embarrassed that she had overreacted. If she even was overreacting. She might be right… Her parents were hiding something from her. What? She wasn’t sure, but these facts weren’t adding up. 

Quinn?

The blonde tried to ignore Rachel’s voice. She didn’t want to talk about it. If she acknowledged it, it was real. 

Are you alright?

“I’m fine.” Quinn lied. 

“Yes, because hyperventilating on my floor exudes fine.” Rachel scoffed. 

Quinn glared at the diva and rolled her eyes, “So what? I overreacted. It’s not a big deal.” 

“Yes, it is. If you think something may be wrong, we need to tackle it. Before it becomes something bigger. We need to be proactive about this entire situation.” Rachel explained. 

“I don’t know anything about it. That’s all I know.” Quinn played with the hem of her shirt as she thought about the facts she had presented. There was nothing else. That was it. 

“Okay. Look, it could be nothing. There are so many things we don’t know about PEA and mating and imprinting. But, it could be something. So let’s just keep it in mind for the future and try to move on until my dads get the test results back?” 

“Okay.”

“Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?” Rachel asked gently rubbing circles on Quinn’s back. 

“Can we just lay for a while?” Quinn asked. 

“Of course.” Rachel smiled at the blonde and held out her arms for the blonde. 

Quinn climbed into Rachel’s arms and relaxed into the girl’s body. The blonde’s head rested on Rachel’s chest, her arms wrapped around the diva’s waist. She could hear Rachel’s heartbeat, steady and strong. It was comforting in a strange way. 

Rachel stroked Quinn’s hair, and the blonde closed her eyes. The gesture was becoming so familiar to the girl. “You like my hair.” Quinn teased. 

“It’s beautiful.” Rachel hummed. 

“It’s not. But thank you.” Quinn chuckled. The girls were quiet for a while before Quinn spoke again, “Rachel?” 

“Yes, Quinn?” 

“What were you humming earlier?” 

“It’s a lullaby Daddy used to sing to me when I was little girl.” Rachel said. 

“Can you sing it for me?” 

“It’s Yiddish.” Rachel said. 

“That’s okay.” 

“Okay.” Rachel took a breath and then quietly sang, “Lyalkele, lyalkele, ay-lyu-lyu, Dayn mame vigt dikh ister tsu. Lyalkele, lyalkele, ay-lyu-lyu, Dayn mame vigt dikh ister tsu.   
Mit a lidele shleft zi dikh ayn, zolstu mir a gezunte zayn. Lyalkele, lyalkele, ay-lyu-lyu, Dayn mame vigt dikh ister tsu. In nestl shlofn di feygelekh, farmakh zhe dayne eygelekh. In nestl shlofn di feygelekh, farmakh zhe dayne eygelekh.” 

“What does that mean?” Quinn asked. 

“Little doll, little doll, go to sleep, your mother is rock you now. She is singing you to sleep with a little song. Be well, do it for me, baby birds sleep in their little nest, close your tiny eyes, little doll, little doll.” Rachel translated. 

“Did it put you to sleep?” 

“Every time.”


	13. Chapter 13

Quinn fell asleep in Rachel’s arms and the brunette smiled down at her mate. She was adorable when she slept. Her lips pouted as she slept. Every so often the girl would wrinkle her nose and Rachel would melt inside. She was like a puppy sleeping in her arms. 

After an hour Quinn’s eyes fluttered open, and the blonde looked up at Rachel with a sleepy smile on her face. “Mmm sorry. I passed out for a while.” 

“It’s okay. It’s been a long day.” Rachel smiled down at her mate and ran her fingers through the blonde’s hair, “How did you sleep?” 

“Okay, I think.” 

“You’re adorable when you sleep.” Rachel hummed. 

“You should see what I look like when I wake up at home. I look like the bride of frankenstein.” Quinn groaned as she sat up. 

“I highly doubt that.” Rachel chuckled. 

“What time is it?” Quinn asked. 

“About four pm.” Rachel said. 

“I have to go soon. I haven’t don any of my homework yet.” Quinn stretched and settled back into the bed. 

“What were you doing while I was asleep?” 

“I read for a while. I was thinking about you, and me, my dads,” Rachel said. 

“What were you thinking about?” Quinn asked. 

“Everything. All of this.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

“I’m not sure if there is much to talk about. My job as your mate right now is to do whatever I have to to keep you safe. It’s just a matter of-” 

“Rachel, this is just as much about you as it is about me. You can’t play the role of the heroine in this story. I need to take care of you just as much as you need to take care of me. So how do you feel?” 

Rachel was quiet for a moment. She has been spending all of her energy to focus on Quinn. “I don’t know how I feel. I’m not sure I’ve had enough time to fully process our situation.” Rachel said. “Part of me is so happy that we found each other. But a bigger part of me is terrified that something will take you away from me. Or worse you’ll get hurt. Yesterday when you went home nothing happened but for a moment I wasn’t sure if you were okay. I wasn’t sure where you were or what you were doing and all I could think about was that there was a possibility that your father might have found out about me. About you. 

And that’s why I want to focus on you. I need to focus on something. I need to organize and negotiate and doing everything I can to ensure that you are safe. Always safe. Because even if we don’t know each other very well yet, I can feel you. Deeply. Inside of me. And after having a taste of what this feels like, I don’t want to lose it.” 

“Rachel-I” 

“No, don’t.” The brunette cute the blonde off before she could get started with her apology, “I don’t want you to apologize. Or whatever it is you’re going to try to guilt yourself with. I want to do this. This is what I want. Because as long as we are ready, we can get through this.” 

The blonde opened her mouth to speak again but said nothing. She pushed a piece of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat, “Have you thought of anything yet?” 

“I have a few things that may work. We’ll know more once we get the test results back, but I have some things in mind. My first plan is a long shot, but it might work. I’ve read a lot about mind links in the past few years. There have been three documented mates that have a mind link so strong they can see, hear, feel, and sometimes even smell what their mate is. I believe through a strong bond, meditation and little research we may be able to achieve some of those things. But it will take practice. 

Second, we will need as many people aware of this as possible. Santana and Brittany will always have to be ready in case your father discovers you’ve imprinted. We’ll need to make a game plan so that we can act as quickly as possible and get you here. This is the safest place you can be if anything happens. 

Third, Finn. I’m not sure exactly what to do about him. You know him better than I do.” 

“He’s a very simple boy. He’s kind, and sweet, and not very smart. I think he’d be willing to help, but I know he might want something in return.” Quinn explained. 

“Like what?” 

“I don’t know. He’s been asking to touch my boobs for at least three months now.” Quinn groaned, “He’s a boy. He has simple needs.” 

Rachel stared at the blonde in shock for a moment before licking her lips, “You want to trade him a pseudo relationship for touching your boobs?” 

“If that’s what he wanted, yeah.” Quinn said with a small shrug. 

“Do you think his requests will all be um-sexual based?” Rachel asked. 

“I don’t know. Maybe you can give him voice lessons. Or we can do his homework for him. Oh that’s good, he’d love that.” Quinn smiled, “Let’s start with that one.” 

“Okay. Homework, music lessons, and groping as a back up. What are we going to do if he reacts badly?” Rachel asked. 

“I’ve actually never seen Finn angry. At me. The only time I ever saw him get angry it was about football and he kicked a chair.” 

“This is going to be an interesting conversation…” 

…

After the girls had discussed their plans, they attempted to watch a movie. But a movie turned into cuddling. And cuddling turned into kissing. And kissing turned into…

“Oh my god,” Rachel moaned as Quinn flicked her clit with her tongue. The diva gripped the headboard of her bed and pushed the blonde’s face further into her center with her free hand. “I’m so close,” the diva moaned. 

Rachel bucked her hips as she felt herself getting closer and closer until her body stiffened and her back arched as her orgasm took over her body. 

Quinn kneeled in front of the diva and wiped her mouth smiling down at the brunette, “I think I’m pretty good at that.” 

“You are great at that.” Rachel breathed, still recovering. 

Quinn lay down next to her mate and cuddled into the brunette’s side. The blonde drew circles on the other girl’s skin with her finger as she watched Rachel’s chest rise and fall, each breath becoming slower as her body calmed down. “Your body is amazing.” 

“Your everything is amazing.” Rachel smiled and turned her head to face Quinn. 

“Do you workout?” 

“Every morning.” 

“Same. But not by choice.” 

Rachel turned on her side and propped her head up with the palm of her hand, “Is it my turn yet?” 

“What?” 

“You’d had your way with me twice. I think I should get a turn as well.” Rachel said. 

“Um-okay.” 

“Okay?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I need a definitive answer, Quinn. I’m not just going to attack you.” Rachel slid her hand under the blonde’s shirt and slowly made her way up the girl’s stomach, “Yes or no?” 

“Yes.” Quinn breathed. 

“Good.” Rachel continued to move her hand until she reached the wire or Quinn’s bra. She dipped her fingers underneath and gently pinched the blonde’s nipple. Quinn gasped in response and the diva giggled at her mate. 

Rachel lowered herself down and kissed Quinn on the lips. The diva kissed down Quinn’s jaw, down her neck, and over her collarbone. The brunette got to her knees and pulled Quinn’s shirt up to her chin before lowering herself back down to Quinn’s body. 

She continued her path down Quinn’s stomach creating a straight line of kisses down to the blonde’s hips where she made her way back up in the same fashion. The blonde wiggled her hips trying to keep composed but Rachel knew she was struggling. “You aren’t very loud, are you?” 

“Nope.” Quinn smirked. 

“Well, I’d like to change that.” Rachel purred, “I’d like to take your shirt off now.” 

Quinn shifted so Rachel could pull the blonde’s shirt over her head and then lay back down on the bed. “And the bra.” Rachel added. The blonde sat up again and Rachel unhooked her bra and threw it to the side. “That’s better.” 

Rachel straddled Quinn’s hips and slid her hands up and down the girl’s stomach a few times before finally moving her hands up to cup the girl’s breasts. She pinched Quinn’s nipples a few times before moving back to her breasts and leaning down bringing her mouth to one of Quinn’s nipples flicking the erect nub with her tongue. 

Quinn bucked her hips at the contact and Rachel smiled as she sat up, moving to the other nipple. The brunette could feel Quinn’s hips wiggling underneath her and she knew the girl was desperately trying not to move. 

Rachel slid off the girl and spread the girl’s legs apart kneeling between them. The diva pulled at the blonde’s pants sliding them off her legs and throwing them to the side. 

Quinn was down to her panties and Rachel couldn’t be happier. 

The brunette lowered herself down between Quinn’s legs and rubbed light circles over the blonde’s clit through the fabric. A quiet moan came from above and Rachel grinned. 

Rachel kissed up and down both of Quinn’s inner thighs when the blonde finally spoke. “Rachel, please just touch me,” the girl groaned. 

Rachel looked up at the Quinn and smirked turning her attention back to Quinn’s center. “Okay.” 

The diva moved back to her knees and pulled Quinn’s panties off, she didn’t wait a second before she slid two fingers into the blonde. Quinn gasped and when Rachel pumped her fingers in and out the blonde moaned quietly beneath her. 

“Does that feel good?” Rachel asked. 

“Uh-huh” Quinn moaned. 

The brunette quickened her pace, and the blonde rolled her eyes in the back of her head her moans getting louder. Rachel continued to speed up her fingers until Quinn was moaning so loudly she was worried someone might hear them. 

The brunette paused for a moment and lowered herself between the girls legs again. She slid her fingers into Quinn and curled her fingers as she licked the blonde’s clit. 

“Fuck, Oh my god. I’m so cl-I’m gonna cum” Quinn moaned. She buck her hips into Rachel’s face and gripped the sheets as her eyes rolled in the back of her head. 

Rachel continued to flit the blonde’s clit until the girl finally relaxed back into the bed. 

The diva sat up and looked down at her mate, “That was an adequate level.” Rachel beamed down at Quinn as she wiped her mouth. 

The blonde rolled her eyes and reached out her arms for the brunette. “Come here.” 

Rachel climbed into her mate’s arms and relaxed, “That was fun.” 

“It was very fun.” 

“I would just like to point out we just broke the only rule my fathers made for us.” Rachel said, “I hope they never try to enforce it.” 

“Me too.”


	14. Chapter 14

_I miss you so much_

_I miss you too, Quinn._

_I can’t pay attention._

_You need to pay attention in class._

_I can’t. All I can think about is you. And how much I wish we had every class together._

_That would be lovely wouldn’t it?_

_Yes._

_What class are you in?_

_History._

_What section are you in?_

_American history. The civil war._

_What year did the civil war end?_

_Ummm… 1830?_

_Actually, it ended it 1865. Pay attention in class, Quinn._

_But-_

_Pay attention._

_Rachel. I have an A in this class._

_I don’t care. You need to focus on your academics._

_Fine._

 

…

 

_Do you remember the plan?_

_Bribe Finn, go home._

_That’s a very simplified version, but yes. I suppose that is correct._

_I’ve been trying not to think about it._

_It will be fine. We’re doing this together. No matter what happens you will be okay._

_Okay. I trust you._

_Good. We can approach him after glee today. Just follow my lead._

 

…

 

“Alright guys, great day today! We’ll see you tomorrow.” Mr. Schue said before returning to his office. 

 

Quinn sat next to Finn on the bottom riser, the boy’s arm securely wrapped around her shoulders. Rachel sat behind the couple and Quinn could feel how angry Rachel was getting about it. Quinn loved it. 

 

“Finn.” Rachel said as she stepped down from the risers, “Do you have a moment to talk, in private?” 

 

“Uh-did I do something wrong?” The boy asked. 

 

“No, not at all. I’d just like to discuss glee related things. Quinn may come as well. If she’d like to.” Rachel gestured to the blonde. 

 

Quinn smiled up at the diva and nodded her head, “Sure.” 

 

“Uh-okay sure.” 

 

…

 

“Isn’t this the girl’s locker room? Am I going to get in trouble for being in here?” Finn looked around them room with a confused look on his face. 

 

“No, I kicked everyone out for hour, you’re fine.” Quinn assured the boy. 

 

“Oh, okay.” 

 

“So, Finn. We have something we’d like to talk to you about. And we need your complete cooperation. And discretion.” Rachel began. 

 

“What?” 

 

“She wants to talk to you about something and you can’t tell anyone.” Quinn translated. 

 

“Oh, okay.” 

 

“Quinn, perhaps you should start this conversation.” Rachel said. 

 

“Okay,” Quinn turned to her boyfriend and sighed, “Finn, maybe you should sit down.” 

 

“Why? Are you breaking up with me? What did I do?” The boy panicked. 

 

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. Something-happened.” Quinn blurted, “Please just sit down.” 

 

“Okay. What’s wrong? Is it your dad again? I know you don’t like to talk about it. But I don’t like it when you get all weird and quiet after he talks to you.” Finn asked concerned. 

 

“Sort of.” Quinn sat next to the boy and took his hands in her own, “It’s complicated. It’s about Rachel. And me. And my dad.” Quinn said. 

 

“I don’t understand.” Finn said, “What does Rachel have to do with your dad?” 

 

“Finn, we need your help. We really need your help.” Quinn continued. 

 

“What do you mean? What’s going on? Just tell me.” 

 

“We’re mates, Finn.” 

 

“You and me? Yeah, I know your mom said-” 

 

“No, Me and Rachel.” 

 

“What?” Finn looked at Rachel and then back to Quinn, “What do you mean? We’re-you’re my girlfriend… you can’t be with her. How long has this been going on? When did you find out?”

 

“This weekend.” Quinn said. 

 

Finn pulled his hands away from Quinn, “This is a joke right? You’re kidding. Why are you telling me this? It’s not funny, Quinn.” 

 

“It’s not a joke. I’m sorry.” Quinn reached for the boy but he swatted her hand away. The boy grabbed Quinn’s wrist and looked down at her mark. 

 

“You’re not lying. Why is does it look funny?” He said, “It’s supposed to be dark.” 

 

“We imprinted.” Rachel finally spoke, “It was an accident. Which is why we need your help.” 

 

“What? Quinn, how could you do this? How could you not tell me?”

 

“It all happened so fast. I didn’t mean to. Please just hear us out, Finn. We need you.” Quinn pleaded. 

 

“I don’t know if I can listen to this.” Finn stood from the bench, and paced back and forth in front of the girls, “This is pretty messed up, Quinn.” 

 

“Finn, please sit down. Just let us explain.” Rachel asked. 

 

“Why should I listen to you? For all I know you talked her into this.” Finn raised his voice, “Everything was fine until you came in here and messed everything up!” 

 

“Finn, everything was not fine!” Quinn yelled, “I have been terrified of my father for years. I know you know what goes on in there. Even if you want to act like you don’t. I know that you know. You’ve seen the bruises. Okay? Stop acting like you’ve never noticed how much my parents have pushed us to be together. This is why. Somehow-I think they knew somehow. At least something. It’s not her fault.” 

 

“I don’t want to break up, Quinn. We have a good thing here. I don’t want it to end.” The boy whimpered. 

 

“If you just let us explain,” Rachel interjected, “You’ll see that I am not trying to take you away from Quinn. Not yet.” 

 

“What’s that supposed to mean.” 

 

“Quinn and I need to be together. After an imprint it’s dangerous to separate two mates. Especially this soon after. We’re not sure that we are stable either. Yet. So, that’s where you come in. We want you to be Quinn’s beard. And in return we’ll give you something.” Rachel said. 

 

“What? You want to give Quinn a beard? Why would she want that?” Finn asked. 

 

“No, she wants you to fake date me. So it looks like we’re still dating. My parents can’t find out about Rachel. They have to believe that we are still dating.” Quinn explained. 

 

“But I don’t want to fake date you. I like real dating you.” Finn complained. 

 

“I like real dating you too. Look, I know this is all happening really fast, but think of it this way. Okay? I care about you, Finn. A lot. And I love being your girlfriend. You make me feel safe. And right now I need you to continue to keep me safe. So please, help me.” Quinn took Finn’s hands in her own again, “Please, Finn.” 

 

“Okay. What do you need me to do?” 

 

“Well you’ll need to take Quinn on very obvious dates. Every week. And you’ll have to intensify your public displays of affection. Not too much, but enough so that people will know that you’re still together. And we need you to kind of be her bodyguard. If she ever feels unsafe, you need to be there.” Rachel explained. 

 

“So I technically get to spend more time with you?” Finn perked up. 

 

“Technically, yes.” Rachel confirmed. 

 

“Awesome! What else do I get?” Finn asked. 

 

“We can do your homework for you.” Quinn added. 

 

“Sweet! But like, if we’re not dating anymore, does this mean we can’t make out anymore?” Finn asked. 

 

“Um-” 

 

“No, absolutely not.” Rachel interrupted the blonde, “There is no way you are putting your mouth on her again.” 

 

“Come on, I am a guy. I have needs. I don’t get anything out of this?” Finn asked. 

 

“I told you.” Quinn rolled her eyes. 

 

“See, Quinn gets it.” Finn argued. 

 

“Fine!” Rachel raised her hands in defeat, “We did discuss, some sort of sexual favor.” 

 

“Okay cool.” 

 

Rachel glared down at her mate before turning back to Finn, “Quinn and I discussed doing your homework, giving you free voice lessons, and allowing you to touch Quinn’s uh-breasts.” 

 

“I finally get to touch your boobs!” Finn yelled happily, “Alright! When do I get to touch them?” 

 

“When you hold up on your end of the deal.” Rachel growled. 

 

“Okay. Awesome. I’m in. When do we start?” Finn asked. 

 

“Right now. We have much to discuss. If this is going to work, we need to be very careful and stick to the plan. Can we trust you Finn?” 

 

“Yeah. Anything for Quinn.” Finn said. 

 

“Yes, for Quinn.” 

 

…

 

_I hate him._

_Rachel, you need to get used to this._

_He’s literally drooling over you._

_He’s excited._

_What is he a dog now? Are you going to pat his head and tell him he’s a good boy?_

_This is for the safety of both of us._

_I know. I’m sorry. I don’t like seeing him touch you like that._

_His arm is wrapped around me. He’s doing his job._

_I don’t like his job._

_We need him._

_I can just as easily hire someone who is more mature._

_That would not be as believable._

_I don’t care._

 

“You okay, babe?” Finn asked tightening his arm around Quinn’s shoulders. 

 

“I’m fine,” Quinn answered with a small smile. 

 

The boy turned and smiled at Rachel and the diva gave him her best grimace. It had only been a few days since the three had made their deal and Rachel was struggling. 

 

She was the one who had made the rules and yet she was having a hard time seeing them through. Seeing that oaf with her mate made her blood boil. He had no right to touch her. He had no claim to her, and yet there he was, holding her and touching her, and acting like this was real. But it wasn’t real. And that had to be enough for Rachel. 

 

The diva was struggling to keep herself together. She had resorted to desperate measures to keep herself calm. Every chance she got her hands were on Quinn. Even Santana was making comments about the diva’s possessiveness. 

 

_Rachel you need to calm down._

_I can’t._

_You’re making it hard to focus. I can feel how angry you are too, remember?_

_Yes, I’m sorry. I thought I could handle this better._

_I know it’s difficult._

_Rachel angrily stabbed a piece of spinach and shoved it into her mouth._

_I hate him._

_You said that already._

_I know._

_Lunch is almost over. You just have to get through glee and you’ll be fine. You can touch me as much as you want._

_I want to touch you now!_

_You know, you’re really hot when you’re angry…_

 

…

 

“So I’ll see you tomorrow?” Finn leaned against Quinn’s locker and stared down at her. 

 

The blonde clutched her books to her chest and smiled up at the boy, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, “Yeah.” 

 

“Awesome.” Finn leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Quinn’s lips. The blonde kissed him back on instinct, not wanting anyone to see her pull away, “Bye.” He said breathed before walking away with a smug smile on his face. 

 

_I will kill him!_

_He did what you told him to do!_

_He kissed you!_

_You said more PDA!_

_UGHHHHHHHHH! Meet me at my car in ten minutes!_

 

…

 

Rachel stormed out to her car slamming her door shut behind her. She gripped the steering wheel as she breathed heavily thinking about Finn and Quinn. His disgusting hands on her mate. Quinn was hers. She was only hers. Not his. Never his. 

 

This should be easier. Why is this so hard? This is what’s best for Quinn. For both of them. For their future. They needed Finn to keep her safe. Why didn’t it feel right then? Why was it so hard to see them together? 

 

Rachel was better than this. She was an emotionally intelligent person. She had self control and dignity. A boy would not be her demise. 

 

The car door opened and Quinn sat in the passenger seat. She was quiet for a moment before she spoke, “Rachel, are you mad at me?” 

 

“No, Quinn. I’m sorry. I’m not angry with you.” Rachel let her hands fall from the steering wheel and turned to her mate, “I’m angry at Finn. No, that’s not true either. I’m angry at the world. I’m angry that we live in a world where it’s easier to fake being in a relationship with a boy like Finn than it is to just be yourself. Be with me.” 

 

“If I could change any of this, I would. You know I would. But it’s too dangerous. The moment we find a better plan we’ll stop. I promise.” Quinn said, “We just need a little time.” 

 

“I know. I know that. I wish that my dads would give us the results to our tests at least. I need to know that we’re okay. We’ve been having so much sex I don’t want to hurt you.” Rachel admitted. 

 

“I don’t mind.” Quinn purred. 

 

The diva smiled and reached down to hold Quinn’s hand, “I know you don’t. But I need some peace of mind. Just one thing to anchor me down. I need to know that at least one thing is going right.” 

 

“I’m sure that we are fine. I feel fine. Actually I feel more than fine.” Quinn said smugly. 

 

“What do you mean more than fine?” Rachel said raising an eyebrow. 

 

Quinn chuckled at her mate and leaned forward, “I mean-” The blonde continued to move forward until her lips brushed up against the diva’s ear, “this.” Quinn nibbled on Rachel’s earlobe and slid her hand up the girl’s thigh. 

 

The brunette pushed the blonde away and started her car. “I think it’s time to go home.” 

 

“Rachel, I didn’t mean to-” 

 

“No, to continue.” The diva clarified.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for being gone for so long! This semester is kicking my butt. But it's almost over. This chapter isn't very long and I apologize. But I figured you guys deserved an update even if it was a short one.

Rachel drove home as fast as she could without getting a ticket. Which was only about thirty miles per hour. But she still felt like she was speeding. 

 

She pulled into the south driveway of her house and exited the car. The diva shouldered her backpack and waited for Quinn to follow her before walking toward the house. “I don’t know if my dads are home. I highly doubt it.” Rachel said, “I hope not.” 

 

“Me too.” Quinn agreed. 

 

Rachel opened walked in the front door and looked around for a sign that her fathers were home. The only thing she saw was a maid cleaning the foyer tile. “Margaret? Do you know if my fathers are home?” 

 

The maid looked up from her mope and shook her head, “No miss, they are still at the office. They asked the chef to make you dinner tonight last time I checked. Would you like me to call for them?” 

 

“No, thank you.” Rachel took Quinn’s hand without a word and led her upstairs to her room. As soon as she shut the door, she pinned the blonde to the wall and held her hands over her head. 

 

“You are mine,” the brunette growled. 

 

Rachel leaned forward and nipped at Quinn’s ear, “Only mine.” She breathed as she pressed sloppy kisses to the her mate’s neck. 

 

“Rachel…” Quinn breathed. 

 

The brunette didn’t want to wait this time, she didn’t want to take her time. She wanted to take Quinn now. She dropped to her knees and reached her hands under the blonde’s skirt pulling at the hem of her spanks. Rachel pulled them down Quinn’s legs guided the blonde’s feet out of them before ducking her head under the blonde’s skirt and attaching her mouth to Quinn’s center eliciting a loud gasp out of her mate. 

 

Rachel shoved Quinn’s legs farther apart and buried her face in Quinn. She licked and sucked and nipped at the blonde’s clit, smiling when her mate moaned. 

 

Rachel pulled away moving to press gentle kisses to Quinn’s inner thighs. The brunette heard her mate take a deep breath and felt fingers playing with her hair. When Rachel looked up, she saw the blonde staring down at her with a gentle smile on her face. 

 

The diva slid one of her hands up Quinn’s leg letting it rest on her thigh as she made her way back to the blonde’s center. She kept eye contact with her mate until she ducked under the skirt again. 

 

Rachel buried her face in Quinn’s center once again, she flicked the blonde’s clit with her tongue and dragged her tongue up the girl’s slit teasing her. She switched between the two until she could feel her mate’s thighs shaking above her. 

 

“I’m getting close.” Quinn moaned. 

 

The diva didn’t waste time edging the blonde she sucked Quinn’s clit inter her mouth and flicked her tongue as fast and hard as she could. 

 

“Fuck,” Quinn hissed fisting the diva’s hair, “I’m so close.” 

 

Quinn pushed Rachel’s face further into her center and grinded her hips on her mates face, “Oh god I’m coming.” Quinn nearly screamed as she rode out her orgasm on Rachel’s face. 

 

The brunette continued to fuck Quinn even as she could feel the blonde coming down from her orgasm and she had no intention of stopping. Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn’s knees anchoring herself to the girl and continued to fuck her mate. 

 

“Rachel. Of fuck, I’m-oh my god.” Quinn’s legs shook as another orgasm took over her body and Rachel could feel the weight of Quinn’s legs buckling beneath her. “I can’t stand anymore.” Quinn breathed. 

 

Rachel pulled herself out from under Quinn’s skirt and guided her mate to the bed. She pushed Quinn down into a seated position and wasted no time climbing onto the bed herself. Instead she kneeled in front of Quinn and buried her head between the girl’s legs again, this time sliding two fingers inside. Pumping and curling as fast and hard as she could. 

 

The blonde fell back onto her elbows and moaned louder than she meant to. “Oh my god. That feels so good.” Quinn breathed as her eyes rolled back in her head. 

 

Rachel could already feel Quinn’s muscles tensing around her fingers and she knew her mate was getting close again. Rachel pumped her fingers faster and harder taking her mouth away from Quinn’s center to keep her balance and look down at the girl and she came above her. 

 

The last thing Rachel saw was Quinn looking down at her, mouth open and panting before the nearly collapsed on the bed as her back arched and she came undone in front of Rachel for the third time. 

 

As the blonde relaxed into the bed Rachel slowed her fingers and gently pulled them out wiping them on her sheets. Rachel climbed into the bed and lay next to Quinn pushing a few stray hairs out of her mate’s eyes. “Are you okay?” Rachel whispered? 

 

“Uh huh.” The blonde groaned. 

 

“Did I hurt you?” Rachel asked, concerned. 

 

“No.” Quinn. 

 

“Do you-” 

 

“Just come here.” Quinn chuckled smiling up at her mate. 

 

Rachel scooted closer to the blonde and lay her head on her mate’s chest. She could hear Quinn’s heart beat steadily slowing down as the blonde settled into the bed. 

 

“Rachel.” Quinn played with the diva’s hair as she looked up at the ceiling, “as much as I enjoy you taking your anger out on my body I can’t see you suffer every day.” 

 

“I know. I’m sorry. I don’t know why this is so hard.” Rachel sighed. 

 

“Finn is taking his role a little too far.” Quinn stated. 

 

“I agree.” Rachel traced the pattern Quinn’s Cheerio uniform, “Perhaps we weren’t clear enough.” 

 

“No. I think he’s just an ass. He’s angry with you and this is his way of showing it.” Quinn explained. 

 

“If I was in his position I’d be angry too.” Rachel empathized, “But that’s no excuse for his behavior.” 

 

“I know. I don’t want to think about that right now. I just want to be here. With you.” 

 

“Okay.” 

 

The two girls were quiet for a long time before Quinn broke the silence again, “I didn’t even get to take my shoes off.” 

 

“What?” Rachel lifted her head to look down at her mate in confusion. 

 

“My shoes are still on. You were on a mission to get in my spanks today.” Quinn chuckled. 

 

“I was ready to get in your spanks in the parking lot.” Rachel scoffed. 

 

“I love that you know what you want, Rachel. Finn was never like that.” 

 

“You had sex with Finn?” Rachel grimaced. 

 

“No. I mean in general. He’s always confused, looking for direction. Which is endearing at times. But I’ve never felt attracted to him before. Sure he’s handsome. But there’s nothing about him that ever made me think-this is the man I want to be with.” Quinn explained. 

 

“What’s so different about me?” Rachel asked. 

 

Quinn looked up at her mate and caressed the diva’s cheek, “The first time I saw you, well, literally collided with you in the hallway I looked into your eyes. They were the first thing I saw. They were so warm and welcoming. I had already realized that you were my mate and I was freaking out but your eyes they still made me feel-at home.” 

 

The blonde sat up and looked into Rachel’s eyes, “They still do.” Quinn smiled gently, “But the first time I heard you sing-I have never been more attracted to someone in my entire life. You stood in the middle of that room and the room changed from glee club to a performance hall. You stood in the middle of the room and poured your heart and soul into that song. I have never seen anyone sing like that. I’ve never heard anyone give themselves to a song before. 

 

And when you came to that sleep over. You didn’t even flinch. Not when I was angry or when I cried. You’re so kind and compassionate and selfless. 

 

You know who you are and who you want to be. You’re amazing, Rachel.” 

 

The diva felt a tear fall down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away smiling down at Quinn. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Quinn asked wiping away a stray tear. 

 

“Nothing.” Rachel whispered. 

 

“Why are you crying?” Quinn asked. 

 

“No one has ever said anything like that to me before. I don’t even think my dads notice I exist half the time. I’ve never had any friends because we move around so much. No one sees me.” Rachel wiped at her face as the tears continued to stream down her face. 

 

“That’s never going to happen again. I know that I haven’t asked you cordially to be my girlfriend. Like you asked. And I will. But I can’t wait to say it anymore.” 

 

“What?” Rachel asked. 

 

“I love you, Rachel.” 

 

The brunette smiled and wrapped her arms around her mate’s neck pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, “I love you too.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a new chapter! I apologize for the long wait. I've really been struggling with writers block lately. :/

“So we need a new plan.” Quinn sat in front of Rachel’s laptop at the diva’s desk, “Do you have any plans?”

“We can hire someone who will follow our rules.” Rachel offered. 

“I don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.” Quinn said. 

“You can break up with Finn for a few weeks until he understands what he did wrong.” Rachel tried again. 

“That’s a much more reasonable plan. Why didn’t I think of that?” Quinn groaned. 

“Because you think too hard.” 

The blonde whipped around in her chair to face her mate, “I do not.” 

“You’re still doing it.” Rachel said with a smirk.

“Fine, how are we going to make this public break up look real, and how are we going to deal with Finn?” Quinn turned back to face the computer and typed a few sentences into her research paper. 

“You will go up to Finn on Friday and tell him it’s over. And he will get angry and punch a locker and then we will just wait until his whiny man butt comes crawling back asking for forgiveness.” Rachel explained. 

The blonde chuckled at Rachel’s plan, “You really hate him, huh?”

“Yes! No. Kind of. I am unclear how I feel about Finn. But I don’t like him as of right now. He went against my wishes. He kissed you in public. I said more PDA not attack your mouth in the hallway!” Rachel rambled. 

“Isn’t this plan kind of risky?” Quinn asked. 

“It has some potential risks. Finn could get so angry that he tells our secret.” 

“So, shouldn’t we make another plan? Or at least try to.” Quinn continued. 

“I suppose. We can try talking to him again.” 

“Rachel, I think you should talk to him. Why don’t you schedule a time to give him a voice lesson, or tutor him? Try to get to know him.”

“I don’t want to know him. He’s frustrating and you have to translate almost everything I say to him because he’s practically illiterate.” Rachel scoffed. 

“Can you please at least try? I’ll tell him you’ll meet him the choir room tomorrow during lunch.” Quinn picked up her phone and typed out the message.

“Do I have a choice?” Rachel groaned. 

“Not really.” The blonde answered with a smirk. 

…

Rachel watched the second hand tic past the twelve showing it was now twelve-fifteen. Finn was late. The diva crossed her arms over her chest. She would wait ten minutes and then go find Quinn. 

At twelve-twenty Rachel was about to stand from her seat when Finn walked through the door. “Sorry, I had to walk Quinn to the lunchroom.” 

“You’re late.” Rachel spat. 

“I know. I was doing what you asked. Protecting Quinn.” Finn defended himself. 

“Punctuality is important, Finn.” Rachel continued. 

“Fine, it won’t happen again.” 

“Good. Now today we will go over the proper use of your diaphragm and breath control. These are very important basic skills in singing. We don’t cover them enough in glee club. Now, place your hands on your stomach like this.” Rachel placed her hands on her stomach forming a triangle around her bellybutton with her thumbs and pointer fingers. It took a few adjustments but Finn got his hands in the correct position. 

“Now, take a deep breath. Four counts in-” Rachel breathed in for four seconds, “and four seconds out,” the diva blew the air out of her lungs and looked up at Finn, “Did you feel your fingers part when you breathed in. 

“Yeah.” The jock answered. 

“That’s what a full breath should feel like every time. When you sing, you need to breathe with this technique to get the best sound.” Rachel explained. 

“Okay, cool.” Fine said with a dumb smirk. 

“To practice we will use this technique with a few basic skill. Repeat after me,” the diva took a deep breath and sang through a major C scale. Finn followed Rachel’s lead. 

“Great. Now you must practice this every time you sing to perfect it. Once you have mastered this skill we can work on reaching higher notes. Let’s try a C minor scale.” Rachel sang through the scale and Finn followed suit. 

Rachel went through about ten scales with Finn. She hated to admit it, but she was impressed with his skill. He wasn’t the greatest singer, but he had a great voice. 

“That was great Finn. You have a great voice and with some practice it can be excellent.” Rachel said. 

“Thank you, I think?” Finn rubbed the back of his head and shrugged, “Thanks for the lesson, Rachel.” 

“You are welcome. Now, I’d like to talk to you about something, if you don’t mind.” Rachel began. 

“Uh, sure.” Finn agreed. 

“I’d like to revise our agreement about Quinn.” Rachel said. 

“What?” 

“I don’t like the way you’re acting with Quinn.” Rachel said again in lamer terms. 

“Why? I think what we have is pretty fair.” Finn scoffed. 

“You can’t kiss her. She’s not your girlfriend. I need you to protect her not suck on her face.” Rachel sneered. 

“You asked for more PDA, I gave it to you. What more do you want?” Finn groaned. 

“I want you to back off. Quinn was your girlfriend and you still have strong feelings for her. I understand. But we are in a very complicated situation and I need you to respected my place in her life as well.” Rachel explained. 

“Look, everything was fine until you came here and messed it all up.” Finn shot back at the girl. 

“I don’t have a personal vendetta to ruin your life, Finn! I know this is hard for everyone, but you need to grow up. All I want you to do is walk her to class and hold her hand and wrap your arm around her when you sit in glee club. That’s all you need to do.” Rachel was yelling at the boy, but she couldn’t help it. He made her so angry. Why didn’t he understand?

“What if I want more?” Finn folded his arms across his chest. 

“You can’t have more. That’s all you get. I’ll do your homework. Isn’t that enough?” Rachel asked. 

“It’s just not.” 

“Then what do you want?!” Rachel yelled, “What will make you happy, Finn?” 

Finn opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He stared down at Rachel for a moment before relaxing his body, “I don’t know. All I know is that I’m not happy now.” 

“I’m sorry that you’re not happy, Finn. I never meant to complicate things. I just want to make them work now. For all of us.” 

The boy nodded his head and grabbed his backpack, “All right, I’ll think about what you said today. 

“Thank you, Finn. I appreciate that, really,” Rachel gently placed a hand on Finn’s arm giving the boy a sad smile and walking out of the room.


	17. Chapter 17

Rachel knew Quinn was waiting for her in the passenger seat of her car. She knew if she didn’t go out to the parking lot, soon the blonde would think something was wrong. 

Something about her interaction with Finn made her feel-wrong. Rachel had never treated someone the way they were treating Finn. Like a puppet. As much as she hated the boy he was a person. 

When he told her he wasn’t happy she felt for him. When she thought about her and Quinn, the brunette couldn’t say she was happy. She was happier than she had ever been in her life. She loved Quinn. Everything was about Quinn. But was that mutual? Did Quinn really care? Of course she did. That would be ridiculous to even think the blonde didn’t care about her. 

What was the real problem here? The diva sat in the foyer as she thought about her situation. It hadn’t occurred to her until now that Quinn was selfish. Her family situation was not ideal. Rachel understood that. But why was the blonde so bent on lying and manipulating to hide who she was? Rachel could offer her a much better life. And yet the blonde still wouldn’t take it. Why?

Why couldn’t Quinn have broken up with Finn when they found out they were mates?

Why couldn’t Quinn move in with Rachel rather than lying and sneaking around? 

Why didn’t Quinn want to be happy with Rachel?

The diva sighed and shook her head, she would never know the answers if she didn’t talk to the blonde. And the sooner this problem was solved the better. 

…

“How did it go?” Quinn asked as Rachel entered the car. 

“Fine,” Rachel replied pulling on her seat belt and locking it into place. 

“How did he take it?” The blonde mirrored Rachel’s actions and turned toward her mate. 

“Not well.”

“Is everything okay?” 

“No, it’s not,” the diva sighed and turned to her mate, “I think he may have taken it better if he had heard it from you.” 

The blonde furrowed her brow, “What do you mean?”

“Have you spoken to Finn about us? In private?” Rachel asked. 

“No. I haven’t.” 

“It’s not fair to us and it’s not fair to him. He’s not happy. And neither are we-I neither am I.” Rachel pulled at the belt over her chest, suddenly uncomfortable.

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’ve been trying to do things your way because I wanted you to be happy. But I have spent my life helping people. I don’t want to hurt people to protect you. Not unless it’s the only way. We used him as a pawn. I don’t like sharing you and I can’t imagine he does either. If I were to put myself in his shoes, I would want you to break up with me rather than string me along.” 

“I thought you hated him anyway,” the blonde scoffed. 

“I do,” Rachel rolled her eyes and turned to face the blonde, “But that doesn’t mean he deserves to be treated like this. That doesn’t mean any of us deserve to be in this mess.” 

“Why do you even care? You hate him!” The blonde demanded, inching her hand toward the seat belt clip. 

Rachel paused for a moment. “You’re not even listening to me,” She gripped her hands on the steering wheel until her knuckles went white. “This plan is selfish. You and Finn need to let go of whatever this is if you want to continue this thing with me. I let this go on for too long.”

“What are you trying to say? Do you want to break up?” 

Rachel fumbled with her keys in the ignition, “We aren’t even together. You are too scared to commit to me, Quinn. I asked you to do one simple thing, commit to me in a formal way and you have yet to do that.” She put the car in drive and pulled out of McKinley silently, the muffled radio commercial humming in the background, “Why are you so hell bent on Finn? What is it that he has that I don’t? Do you want him to be your mate? Am I not good enough?”

“I need Finn! He’s the only thing I have left!” Quinn gripped the hem of her Cheerio’s uniform, ignoring her watering eyes.

The drone of the radio bled through the thickness in the air as Rachel slowed to the speed limit and Quinn sniffled beside her. The car pulled up in front of the Fabray residence and Rachel unlocked the doors.

“What are we doing here?” Quinn asked quietly, “I thought we were going-“

“Get out.” Rachel’s eyes did not waver from the windshield. 

“Rachel, that’s not what I meant. I meant that-”

“Get out of my car,” Rachel repeated.

Quinn unbuckled her seatbelt, pushing the door open and sliding out and closing the door behind her. By the time she turned to face Rachel through the window, the car was gone.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's been quite a while. I know. I'm sorry. I really can't guarantee how consistent updates will be. But I'm trying my best. I hope you like this little update. I'll try to get more up soon.

“Damn, Q. You really got yourself in the doghouse, huh?” Santana empathized with the blonde.

“Yeah. I didn’t see that one coming. She seemed fine with everything until yesterday”, the blonde paused rethinking her statement, “Not fine, but I didn’t think she was that upset.”

“So, what do you need help with? I don’t have a time machine to fix all of this for you,” Santana sat on her bed filing her nails. 

“I need an honest opinion and I know you won’t lie to me.” Quinn said. 

“Okay…” 

“Things with Finn aren’t working out. I need to break up with him. For good. And I need to make it up to Rachel that I disregarded her feelings. Do you think I actually messed up or is she overreacting?” Quinn asked. 

“I wasn’t there so I can’t answer that question. What I do know is that our plan with Finn wasn’t very well thought out. It was a quick solution but not a smart one. It looked better on paper.” Santana shrugged and leaned against the wall, “You win some you lose some.” 

“So you just let me go through with that plan knowing it might blow up in my face?” Quinn growled. 

“You were desperate. We didn’t have very much time to come up with an idea. So yeah. Look, this is a complicated situation. It’s hard to make the right choices when you have so much to lose. I also didn’t think you would take it that far. Like damn, Q. You basically offered to flash him,” Santana chuckled. 

“It’s not funny,” the blonde snapped. 

“It’s funny when you weren’t involved.” The Latina turned her attention back to her nails. 

“Fine, whatever. What do I do?”

“Well, I agree. Break it off with Finn. But wait a few days. It sounds like Rachel gave him a hard enough time already. He’s too weak to handle both of you going at him. As for Rachel, it’s clear that you are both crazy about each other. You bone like rabbits, but do you ever, I don’t know spend time together. Have you gone on a date? Do you two really know much about each other? Other than the basics?” 

“Uh - somewhat” the blonde replied. 

“Then I suggest you start there, woo her. Make her feel like you actually want her around and she’s not just a convenience that got dropped in your lap.” 

“Woo her? What like this is the nineteenth century and I know how to woo a woman?” Quinn rolled her eyes before deflating into the bed, “I don’t know how to woo a woman. I’m normally the one being wooed.” 

“Then you should be an expert,” Santana shot back, “Look, you want an honest opinion, Q? Here’s the thing. Relationships are hard. I know Brit and I make it look easy, but they are hard work. It’s compromise, and putting someone else before yourself all the time. You have to want to make it work. The chemicals won’t do it for you. If you want to make this up to Rachel you have to show her that you aren’t just here because her initials are on your wrist…or because of how good she is with her tongue.”

“You sounded so wise before you brought sex into this,” Quinn mumbled. 

“Yeah, whatever, Quinn I know you don’t want to hear this, but you fucked up. There’s no other way to put it,” Santana stopped filing her nails and turned her attention to the blonde, “I know you’ve had a hard time at home, especially with Russell being-him. But, that doesn’t give you a free pass to just do whatever you want because you’re scared. Rachel wants to help you and clinging to the only thing you have left of your old heterosexual-perfect-blonde-life is not going to get you anywhere but further into the mess you’re already in. Stop being such a pussy. I’m not saying you should shout you love vagina from the rooftops, but you need to at least show Rachel you want to be hers. Only hers, okay? That’s what you need to do.” Santana picked up her nail file and leaned against the wall filing her nails once again. 

“You’re right. I have an idea, but it will take a while. What do I do in the meantime?” Quinn asked. 

“Beg for forgiveness, we’ve all done it at least once.” Santana suggest with a small shrug. 

“Thanks, I’ll get right on that.”

…

Rachel felt like she had been driving for hours. Her tank was full when she left the parking lot, however now she only had a half tank of gas. The diva didn’t know where she was or where she was going. The only thing she knew was that she wanted to be anywhere but in her own head. 

Part of her felt guilty for how she had handled things. Perhaps she had been too hard on Quinn. The blonde was going through a lot with her father. Rachel had offered many solutions to make the cheerleader’s life easier and yet none of them had been considered. Quinn hadn’t even called to see if the diva was okay. She hadn’t chased after her like Rachel hoped she would. Well, to be fair the brunette didn’t want her too. She would have ignored the call anyway. But it would have felt good to swipe the red button across the screen. 

Rachel found a place to pull over to the shoulder of the road and killed the engine, her mind was too occupied to continue driving. She didn’t want to put herself in danger over a stupid fight. It wasn’t stupid, but her life wasn’t worth risking because of it either way. 

The brunette relaxed letting her head rest against the headrest and sighed. She had gotten herself into a mess. Rachel never should have gone along with a plan she knew would fail. She should have never entertained Quinn’s ideas. The brunette knew her mate was scared of her father, but there were better ways to deal with this from the beginning. 

The diva ran her fingers through her hair and slumped forward letting her forehead rest on her steering wheel. “Quinn, what am I going to do with you,” Rachel mumbled to herself. 

After taking a few more minutes to think Rachel decided it was time to turn around and go home. When she directed her GPS to take her home she realized she had driven two hours away from Quinn’s house. Her expected arrival was well after her normal bedtime but today she was okay with that. She needed the distraction and the extra time to think about what she would do tomorrow. 

The thought of ignoring Quinn hurt the brunette, but she didn’t want to just forgive her either. She knew her reaction was justified. She tried to tell Quinn she wasn’t comfortable and the blonde just wouldn’t listen. What she wanted to do was sit down and have an adult conversation about their situation. But Quinn may not see it that way. 

When Rachel pulled into the garage, she still hadn’t wrapped her head around the situation. The best solution she had come up with was just waiting for Quinn to apologize, but until then all Rachel could do was mope around hoping that came sooner rather than later. 

…

Quinn lay in her bed staring at the ceiling for hours. As soon as she had returned from Santana’s she collapsed in her bed and turned to the ceiling hoping for some idea to come to her. The more she thought about the situation the more the blonde realized how badly she had treated Rachel, and Finn, and herself. Santana was right, Quinn had messed up, big time, and now she needed to make it up to everyone, but most importantly, Rachel. 

What would make Rachel forgive her, an apology was a good start? How would Rachel Berry want to be apologized to? A letter? No. In person, but that wouldn’t be enough. It would be continuous work to make this right, but she was ready for it.   
……………

The next morning Rachel woke up and checked her phone for a message from Quinn, but to her disappointment she had no messages from the blonde. Rachel groaned and slammed the phone on the bedside table. She would not let this ruin her day. They would make up when they were both ready. Everything would be fine. 

Rachel went downstairs to make herself a breakfast smoothie and was greeted by her fathers quietly talking at the kitchen island. The last time Rachel had seen both of her fathers in the same room this early in the morning they informed her they would be moving-again. Two Berrys in the same room always meant big news. “Dad, Daddy, what’s going on?” 

“No need to panic sweetheart, we just have some minor news. Come sit, we already made you a smoothie,” Hiram pushed a large class toward the edge of the island.

The diva walked to the counter and sat at a stool cupping the smoothie in her hands, “Okay? What’s going on?” Rachel asked testing the smoothie. The quality was not as high as Jerry’s smoothies, but it was a close second.

“We have a few things to go over. Your test results came back and both of you are very healthy. Everything came back normal and there’s really nothing to worry about,” LeRoy announced.

“Then why did you make me a smoothie?” Rachel was skeptical of the simplicity in her father’s statement.

“We did find something-strange,” Hiram looked at his husband before continuing, “Both of your PEA levels are extremely low. We expected them to be high, especially since you two have formed such a strong bond in such a short period of time. But since neither of you are exhibiting any symptoms that would be of concern to this pathology there’s no need to treat it at this point in time. We’d like to keep a close eye on this issue. If that’s alright. One blood test a week would be ideal.” 

“I suppose that’s fine. I’d have to discuss it with Quinn.” Rachel replied.

“Yes, where is she?” Hiram asked cocking his head to the side. 

“We had a disagreement last night,” the brunette looked down at the counter and played with the straw in an attempt to hide her discomfort. 

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry is there anything we can do to-” 

“No-please just I can handle this myself,” the brunette cut off her dad before her could finish that statement, “You handle the science I will handle Quinn,” Rachel took a deep breath before speaking again, “What-what symptoms would appear if either of us did develop a deficiency in this situation? I thought the mark was a self sustaining gland once an imprint was established.” 

“That’s a great question sweetheart,” LeRoy answered, “Normally in this situation an individual with the levels the two of you have would be exhibiting flu like symptoms. Chills, cold sweats, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite. In severe cases maybe even cold sweats, fainting, gastrointestinal upset. However, it does vary.” 

“And what would happen if the levels continued to fall?”

“In a normal situation the individual would continue to weaken. In a worse case scenario a coma would set in and if they received no treatment death. However, we are fortunate enough to have endless resources and we would recommend starting treatment with either medication or a pump depending on how well the individual is producing PEA themselves. However, this is not a normal situation. I don’t believe either of you will need to worry about that,” LeRoy explained. 

“Is there a reason something like this might happen?” Rachel asked, “In this situation.” 

“Nomally, when PEA levels fall it is because a bond has somehow been severed. A death is the most common trigger. However, in this situation we aren’t sure what may have triggered this response especially with the lack of symptoms.” Hiram replied. 

“Is this something we should be worried about? This is not exactly what I was expecting when you said everything was fine,” Rachel said. 

“We don’t think you should be worried. Not right now. As long as we monitor the situation you should both be healthy and have a good quality of life,” Hiram said with a smile. 

“I’m not exactly convinced, however I trust your judgement,” Rachel took a long sip of her smoothie and nodded her head, “I’ll tell Quinn and I’m sure she’ll agree to the blood tests.” 

LeRoy stepped around the island and placed a hand on Rachel’s shoulder, “Are you going to be okay, honey?” 

“I’ll be fine. I’d like to be alone now.” Rachel’s tone was more cold than she had meant it to be. To be fair, she wasn’t expecting that announcement. And she had just gotten into an argument with her mate. And her life wasn’t going in the direction she had been hoping for. 

“Sure, just let us know if you change your mind.” LeRoy gave Rachel’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before he gestured for Hiram to follow him out of the room.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm shocked but so happy that there are still people following this story. Thank you so much for sticking around. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Three days had gone by since their fight and Quinn felt terrible for not even trying to contact Rachel. School had been uncomfortable on Monday. Rachel and Quinn weren’t speaking aside from the awkward eye contact and occasional accidental mind voice communication which always ended in static anyway. 

Glee was even worse, and Finn was still playing his role. He had taken to just sitting next to Quinn rather than showing any affection. The blonde appreciated the boy’s dedication to his role but still felt guilty for continuing on when she wasn’t speaking to Rachel. The blonde could feel Rachel’s eyes glaring at her back but she didn’t dare risk looking at the diva. She knew there would only be anger there. 

Being at home was the worst part of all. The blonde had nothing to do but study, shower, or stare at her ceiling wishing she was with Rachel. She knew this was her fault and if she gained courage this would all be over, but she knew she couldn’t just walk up to Rachel without a plan. Which is how she spent every night at Rachel’s house with Jerry. 

It was torture, but it would be worth it, she hoped. Quinn had been sneaking over to Rachel’s house every day since she spoke with Santana. She had a plan that had to woo her mate. If it didn’t she wasn’t sure they were mates. The house was large enough that Quinn could sneak around without being seen by Rachel with the help of Jerry. 

Quinn confided in Jerry telling him the same story she had told Satana. The man was sympathetic but still angry that she had hurt Rachel. However, he agreed to help Quinn seeing as she was going through a great deal of effort to make it up to the diva. 

The blonde had been sneaking over to Rachel’s house every day and preparing Rachel’s surprise. She worked on it from the second she finished her homework until she went to sleep. She was exhausted and anxious about her plan. She wasn’t sure if it was right to cut Rachel off, but they both needed space to think and evaluate the situation - and Quinn couldn’t back out of this plan now. She had to show her mate she was serious. She wanted this.

 

…

“I don’t think we can finish this in time. I need to see her,” Quinn sighed as she wiped sweat from her brow. 

“You may be right. This may have been too much to take on. But she’ll love it regardless,” Jerry assured the blonde. 

“I need something to make this up to her. I don’t want to give her an unfinished gift. That seems-wrong,” Quinn sighed and leaned against the bedpost looking down at the plastic sheet covering the ground, “Do you think I’ll ever be able to make this up to her?” 

“I think you’ll never know if you don’t try. This isn’t the only way. Just try talking to her, Quinn. You can’t lean on a gesture to make it all okay. You need to put in some work as well,” Jerry dropped his paintbrush and walked over to the bed taking a seat in front of the blonde, “Go talk to her. I’ll keep working on this. We’ll get it done. But you need to see her. I see Miss Berry every day. She’s angry. But more than anything she misses you just as much as you miss her.” 

“I’m scared. What if I say that wrong thing and I lose her forever?” 

“You won’t. If you try. But if you continue avoiding the problem that fear will become a reality,” Jerry stood from his place on the bed and walked back to the wall he had been painting, “Just really think about what you want. Not about her reaction to your first encounter, not about what happened in the past, just think about what you want overall in the future. You’ll know what to do.” 

…

Quinn thought long and hard about Jerry’s words, but she knew Rachel wasn’t the first person she needed to talk to if she was moving toward a better future. She had to break it off with Finn. She was dreading it but she knew dragging Finn along wouldn’t solve her problems. 

The blonde drove to Finn’s house and rang the doorbell, palms sweaty and heart pounding as she waited for the door to open. When the boy came to the door he immediately deflated, his mouth turned down in a frown and his shoulders slumped, “Hey.”

“Can I come in?” The blonde asked, her voice much smaller than she expected. 

“I guess,” the boy stepped out of the doorway for Quinn to step inside and folded his arms over his chest, “What do you want?” 

“I just want to talk.” The blonde replied, “in private.”

“No one’s home.” 

“Okay. You’re angry at me too. I deserve that. I’ll just be blunt. This isn’t working out and I think we should end this. Whatever this is. It’s over.” Quinn announced. 

“Why didn’t you just send Rachel to tell me that?” Finn asked. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t do this myself in the first place. I was scared, okay? I know that doesn’t make up for the pain I have caused you, but that’s the truth. I was scared and I took the easy way out,” Quinn explained, “I just wanted to tell you myself. In person.” 

“You’re so confusing, Quinn. First, you want me to be your beard, and now-now you want to break up our fake relationship? What do you want from me? I’ve been doing this for you! All of this was for you and now you’re just going to get rid of me?” Finn yelled. 

“I’m not getting rid of you, Finn. I’m doing what I should have done in the first place. Rachel is my mate and I need to be hers and only hers. Sharing me isn’t good for any of us,” Quinn tried to explain. 

“What about your dad? What if he finds out about this? What’s he gonna do to you? To me? To Rachel?” Finn demanded. 

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take if it will make Rachel happy,” the blonde replied, “I have been incredibly selfish. We have been incredibly selfish. Rachel didn’t ask for any of this. She has been nothing but supportive of our needs. This isn’t about me or you, Finn. It’s about Rachel. She deserves better than this.” 

Finn clenched his jaw and Quinn waited for the tantrum. She waited to see a vase fly across the room or even a hole in the wall, but all the boy did was sigh and let his head fall forward. “You’re right. I guess I’m sorry too.” 

“I’m sorry I hurt you, Finn. There are not enough sorrys to fix the damage I have done, but I want to make this right. I want to be the mate Rachel deserves and I think this is a good place to start. We all deserve better.”

Finn was quiet for a moment before speaking again, “Do you think I even have a mate?” 

“What? Of course, you do. Everyone does,” Quinn said as if that was the dumbest question on the planet. 

“Yeah, that’s what they say, but I don’t know. Your parents were so sure that we were meant to be together. I really believed that we were mates. If you’re not mine, why do I love you so much? Why can’t I let this go?” 

“I don’t know. I’m sorry things turned out the way they did. I wish I had a better answer for you but I’m just as confused as you are. I know you’ll find your mate and they will be so much better than I could have been.” 

“I just feel like you’re wrong. I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right,” Finn rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head, “But, if this is what you want I guess I have to back off.” 

“Thank you, Finn. I-” 

“I’m not just doing this for you. Rachel made me see that this isn’t what I want either. I don’t want to share you with her. I want you for myself, but if you don’t want me I need to back off. For myself. I can’t watch you love her the way I always wanted you to love me.” 

“Finn it’s not like that. I care about you it’s just-” 

“You don’t love me. It is like that. For me. And I’m not mad. I’m a little pissed you cheated on me, but I’m not mad that you found your mate. Just disappointed that it’s not me.”

“I do love you, Finn. Just not the way you want me to. I know this may be a lot to ask, but I’d like to still be friends if you are okay with that. I would also understand if you never want to speak to me again after this,” Quinn wrapped her arms around herself. 

“Yeah, yeah I’d like that. I just need some time.”

“Of course.” 

…

Quinn stood at Rachel’s front door that Friday afternoon. She had decided talking to Finn and Rachel on the same day was too much for her to handle. It also gave her a little more time to decide what she wanted to do. But two days had passed and it was already Friday - time was up. 

The blonde stood on the front porch in a yellow sundress with a white shrug around her shoulders. She brought nothing except extra cash she had been saving up. She hoped she would get to use it tonight. 

Quinn took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. She was so nervous she could feel her heartbeat in her throat, it almost hurt just to take a breath, but she couldn’t back out now. She couldn’t be a coward anymore. 

The door opened but to Quinn’s disappointment, Jerry was at the door, “Hey, Quinn. You ready?” 

“I think so. Do you think she’ll want to talk?” Quinn played with the hem of her dress as Jerry let her inside. 

“Only one way to find out, right?” 

The blonde nodded and stood in the foyer not knowing what to do next, “She’s in the studio. Do you want me to walk you over?” 

“Please.” 

…

“Miss Berry, someone is here to see you,” Jerry’s voice came in through the intercom in the booth.

Rachel considered ignoring him, or informing him she was busy and didn’t have time to see whoever came to visit. But, she hadn’t had company in over a week and it might be good to talk to someone other than her fathers, “I’ll be right out,” the diva said into the intercom. 

She closed her laptop and cut the power in the booth before stepping out to see who Jerry had brought to see her. When Rachel saw Quinn standing next to Jerry, she was torn between telling her to leave and smothering her in a bone-breaking hug. She settled for neither, staying where she was and trying not to show any emotion, “Hello, Quinn,” Rachel’s tone was harsher than she had meant it to be, but she couldn’t deny that the blonde deserved it. 

“Hi, Rachel,” Quinn replied with a small wave. 

“Thank you, Jerry. I’ll let you know if we need anything,” Rachel gave the man a small smile and he left without another word leaving the girls alone. “What brings you here, Quinn? I was beginning to think you had changed your mind about-this.” 

“I’m sorry. I know I should have come sooner. I came to apologize. For everything. I’ve been cruel and selfish and you deserve so much better,” Quinn explained. 

“Thank you, I appreciate the apology, but I’m not sure that will be enough. If you had come a week ago I would have forgiven you as soon as you walked through the door, but it’s been over a week of silence. I’m not sure what to think of that,” Rachel sat on the leather couch on the far wall and gestured for the blonde to sit beside her. 

Quinn sat on the other side of the couch putting more than two feet between the girls. It felt awkward and forced and wrong. But Rachel wasn’t sure what would feel right. 

“I’m sorry, I should have come sooner, but I needed time to think.” 

“And what conclusion led you to come over today?” 

“I’ve come to many conclusions,” Quinn replied.

“May I hear them?” Rachel asked, perking up slightly. 

The blonde nodded and moved from her place on the couch. She walked around the coffee table and kneeled in front of Rachel taking the diva’s hands in her own. “Is this weird,” the blonde asked. 

“It’s only weird if you make it weird,” Rachel couldn’t help the small smile that played on her lips at Quinn’s insecurity. 

“Okay, well, here’s what I came up with. I’m just going to talk and I need you to let me say all of it at once because if I stop I don’t know if I’ll have the nerve to try again.” 

“Okay.” 

Quinn let out a deep breath, “I’ve been thinking a lot about everything I have done to bring me to this moment. Every decision. I’ve realized that so many of those decisions have been selfish. In making so many of them, I was blind to how they might affect the people around me. Especially you. 

I started this relationship all wrong. I cheated on Finn. I kept him around to preserve my own status and safety. I continued to do so even after it so clearly affected you. I have been a coward and I let my fear drive my life for so long and it has turned me into someone I don’t want to be. I didn’t realize that until now. 

My fear kept me from chasing after you that day you drove off. My fear kept me from coming here and telling you I made a mistake. My fear has caused me to treat you so terribly and I am so sorry. I am so sorry. 

The thought of losing you because I’m too scared to have you the way you deserve is too much to bear. So during our time apart I’ve been working on becoming the mate you deserve. I want to be the person you deserve. Your equal. Not someone you have to constantly worry about and sacrifice for. I want to be able to take care of you as much as you have taken care of me. 

I went to see Finn a few days ago. I broke it off with him. He will no longer be a part of this relationship. No more beard. No more hiding. No more pretending that this isn’t happening. If it’s alright with you I’d like to try again, the right way. Just you and me and no one else. I’m not ready to go public with this, but I’m ready to give you all of me. I want to be yours and only yours. 

I know that I can’t change what I did. I know that nothing can make up for the pain I have caused you. But I want you to know that in the future I am going to do everything I can to ensure that you never feel the way I made you feel again. I can’t promise I will never hurt you, but I can promise that everything I do from this day forward will have your best interest at heart.”

Quinn looked up at Rachel expectantly but the brunette wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t know what to say. The blonde’s words were very sweet, but they were just words. She needed more than a speech. “I’m glad that you have learned a lesson from this, Quinn. I am touched by your words, but you and I both know a romantic speech is not enough to repair a relationship. I need you to show me you mean every word you said. Not just today, but every day. I know we are going to have many obstacles. This won’t be easy, given our situation, but I need you to show me that all of this will be worth it. Breaking things off with Finn is a wonderful start, but we have a lot of things to work on if this is going to be a future we can both be happy with.” 

“I know. I understand. And I have a few things planned that I think will show you exactly how serious I am about this,” Quinn smiled and squeezed Rachel’s hands in her own, “You told me that we aren’t dating. I want to change that. I want to take you out on a proper date if that’s alright with you?” 

“Today? You want to take me on a date today? I wasn’t prepared for this. I don’t have an outfit planned. Or a song in case there is an opportunity for a performance. Oh gosh I haven’t even showered yet today! I am in no state to go on a date.” 

“Rachel, you look amazing, but if you need to get ready I’m willing to wait,” Quinn replied with a chuckled. 

“Where are we going? I need details to prepare myself.”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. It’s a surprise.”

“Quinn. I need to know where we are going. I hate surprises.” 

“I did not know that. But, I am not backing down. I won’t tell you.” 

“I at the very least need a dress code.”

“Something casual is fine. Your normal skirt and sweater combo would be perfect.”

“Noted. Give me an hour and I’ll be ready to go.” 

“I’ll be here.”


End file.
